Two Chadian soldiers were killed by jihadists in Dabantchali, in the Lake Chad region, President Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno announced on Monday. In recent years, the area has become a major hideout for Boko Haram and Islamic State groups.
In a message on the social network Twitter, President Déby reported “the death of a dozen terrorists”. “Our valiant armed forces have just repelled an aggression by the nebulous Boko Haram sect in the vicinity of Bol”, about 300 km north of the capital N’djamena, said the head of the ruling junta, claiming that “two soldiers fell in the performance of their duty.
The authorities refer indiscriminately to the Nigerian jihadist group of the same name and its splinter group, the Islamic State in West Africa (Iswap), as “Boko Haram”, which has set up camps on the myriad of islets covering the Lake Chad basin.
The jihadists regularly carry out attacks against the military and civilians throughout the area. On Friday and Saturday, civilians were attacked in Liwa, Kaya and Koulkimé. In the latter locality, the jihadists even attacked a gendarmerie post before being repelled. This is the third attack in less than a week, according to local sources, who are concerned about the resurgence of jihadist incursions, which seemed to have disappeared in recent months.