In a dangerous escalation of Sudan's devastating civil war, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) launched a deadly assault on the border town of Tine over the weekend, killing five Chadian soldiers and three civilians in an incursion that has forced Chad to close its eastern border indefinitely. The attack, which left 12 people wounded, represents the latest and most serious spillover of the conflict into Chadian territory and has raised fears that the war is increasingly drawing in neighboring states. A Chadian official confirmed that clashes erupted on Saturday between the RSF and militia fighters loyal to Sudan's army-backed government, with the fighting causing casualties on Chadian soil and prompting an urgent deployment of additional troops to the area.
Border Closure and Warning
The Chadian government announced on Monday that the border would remain closed until further notice, citing "repeated incursions and violations committed by forces in Sudan's conflict" on Chadian territory. Government spokesperson Gassim Cherif Mahamat issued a statement declaring that the measure "aims to prevent any risk of the conflict spreading to our soil, to protect our fellow citizens and refugee populations, and to guarantee the stability and territorial integrity of our country". The ministry added that while all movement of people and goods along the border has been suspended, exceptions may be granted for strictly humanitarian reasons with prior government approval. Crucially, the statement emphasized that "the Chadian government, under international law, reserves the right to respond to any aggression or breach of its territory and border," signaling N'Djamena's growing frustration with the repeated violations.
RSF Captures Strategic Border Town Amid Regional Tensions
The attack occurred as the RSF announced its capture of Tine in northern Darfur on Sunday, releasing a celebratory video clip showing its fighters in the town. Tine represents one of the last areas still held by the Sudanese military in the sprawling Darfur region, which has been under RSF control since October 2025. The Sudanese Armed Forces and allied groups claimed they repelled the initial RSF assault and forced the paramilitary fighters to flee into Chad, but the subsequent capture of the town represents a significant strategic gain for the RSF and a worrying development for Chad's security. The border town sits along a porous frontier that has seen repeated cross-border attacks, including a drone strike last year that killed two Chadian soldiers, though responsibility for that attack remains unclear.
The RSF's Regional Ambitions
This latest incursion is not an isolated incident but part of a troubling pattern of RSF cross-border attacks. In mid-January, RSF fighters pursued Sudanese Armed Forces-affiliated militias from Darfur into Chad and attacked a Chadian Army camp, killing seven soldiers and destroying combat vehicles. That attack followed a week of fighting in Tine and came just weeks after two Chadian soldiers were killed in a December 26 drone strike on an army camp, an attack the RSF and SAF blamed on each other. The escalating violence has prompted Chadian officials to issue increasingly urgent warnings, with government spokesman Gassim Cherif declaring in January that "this is our final warning. We cannot have our defense and security forces dragged into the conflict … or Chadians dying" . Despite these warnings, the RSF has continued its aggressive posture along the border.
Allegations of RSF Supply Networks Through Chad
The security situation is further complicated by persistent allegations that Chad has served as a transit route for supplies, including weapons and drones, to the RSF, though the Chadian government consistently denies any involvement. These allegations have created diplomatic tensions, with Sudan's military-backed government previously claiming that the RSF was recruiting mercenaries from some of Sudan's neighbors to fight the army. Both the army and the RSF stand accused of war crimes in the nearly three-year conflict, which has devastated Sudan and created what the United Nations describes as one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. The fighting has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced more than 12 million, and pushed parts of Sudan into famine.
Ethnic Dimensions
The RSF attacks against members of the Zaghawi ethnic group, who live on both sides of the Sudan-Chad border, risk further inflaming tensions, as Chadian President Mahamat Déby and much of the upper echelons of Chad's military are members of this group. The increased violence has strained Chad's border towns as a continuing influx of Sudanese refugees crosses the 1,400-kilometer frontier. Since the war began in April 2023, Chad's eastern provinces bordering Darfur have taken in more than one million people fleeing the violence. Lacking sufficient funding, Chad's humanitarian response agencies are overwhelmed, with the population in the town of Adré, where most Sudanese refugees enter Chad, having risen tenfold since the war began, causing prices to rise amid increasing unemployment and exacerbating outbreaks of cholera and other illnesses.
A Nation on the Brink
As one analyst from the Center for Studies for the Development and Prevention of Extremism observed, "One thing is certain: whether we like it or not, Chad now appears to be a party to the conflict". With nearly one million Sudanese refugees already on its soil, its soldiers being killed by RSF incursions, and persistent allegations of its territory being used for weapons smuggling, Chad finds itself increasingly entangled in a war not of its making. The border closure represents a desperate attempt to insulate the nation from a conflict that shows no signs of abating, even as the RSF continues its aggressive expansion in Darfur and beyond.