Suspected Boko Haram fighters launched a deadly overnight assault on a Chadian military base near Lake Chad, leaving at least 24 soldiers dead.
The attack struck the Barka Tolorom base late Monday, a remote outpost along the restless shores of the vast, fragile lake.
Military sources reported 25 soldiers killed and 46 wounded, while a regional administrator confirmed 24 dead and several injured.
Both officials attributed the assault to Boko Haram, a group that has long exploited the lake’s labyrinth of islands and marshes.
The official added that the situation was under control, even as the echoes of gunfire lingered across the troubled region.
Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno condemned the raid as a cowardly act, vowing to intensify the fight against the militants.
He expressed condolences to grieving families and pledged to pursue the threat until it is completely eradicated from national territory.
The Lake Chad basin, where borders blur between Chad, Nigeria, Niger and Cameroon, remains a persistent refuge for armed groups.
Boko Haram and its splinter factions have used the region’s difficult terrain to stage attacks and evade military pressure.
Violence has escalated in recent months, with increased assaults on military positions and a rise in kidnappings across the area.
An earlier attack in October 2024 killed around 40 Chadian soldiers, prompting a major counter-offensive led by the president himself.
Although authorities later claimed militants had lost safe havens, renewed attacks suggest the insurgency continues to adapt and endure.