President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno has declared three days of national mourning following a series of brutal Boko Haram assaults in the Lake Chad region that left dozens of soldiers, including two generals, dead.
Chad began three days of national mourning on Thursday to honor soldiers killed in recent terrorist assaults in the volatile Lake Chad region.
Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno signed the decree late Wednesday, following a wave of violence that has underscored the persistent threat of the Boko Haram insurgency.
The mourning period, which officially runs from midnight on May 6 to midnight on May 9, honors the “martyrs who fell on the field of honor” during attacks on May 4 and May 6.
The violence began on Monday evening when militants launched a massive assault on the Barka Tolorom island military base. According to military and government sources, the raid resulted in at least 23 soldiers killed and 26 others injured. Survivors of the pre-dawn raid described a intense battle involving over 200 fighters in speedboats who caught recent conscripts off-guard.
Just hours before the mourning was declared, local media reported a second deadly ambush on Wednesday afternoon targeting security boats patrolling the lake’s island area. This subsequent attack claimed the lives of two high-ranking generals, though an official final casualty count for that specific engagement has yet to be released.
Under the presidential decree, national flags are being flown at half-mast across the country and all festive activities have been strictly prohibited.
The mandate limits media broadcasts and places of worship to religious music and prayers only. President Deby, who visited wounded survivors at a military hospital in N’Djamena, vowed a “total war” against the insurgents, stating that the military would continue its operations with renewed determination until the threat is completely eradicated.
The Lake Chad basin, which borders Nigeria, Niger, and Cameroon, remains one of Africa’s most complex security zones. Despite a major counter-offensive in early 2025 that the government claimed had cleared Chadian territory of sanctuaries, the recent “bloodbath” at Barka Tolorom highlights the resilience of Boko Haram and its splinter faction, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).
Regional security analysts suggest the recent surge in attacks may be retaliation for previous airstrikes, signaling that the militant groups maintain a lethal capacity to strike deep into Chadian territory.
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