Chad has protested an alleged incursion by Central African Republic (CAR) forces near the Tissi border zone.
Chad’s Foreign Minister Ahmed Kogri summoned the CAR ambassador to N’Djamena on October 11 after what Chad described as an incursion by Central African soldiers into Abnabak, in the Salamat region, on October 10, according to KOACI.
He called the incident a serious violation of Chad’s sovereignty and demanded an explanation from the CAR government. Chadian officials also said similar cross-border incidents had occurred since 2021.
State media reported that several civilians and soldiers were seriously injured.
The border dispute comes as Russia expands its civilian and security presence in CAR. The incident has drawn attention to CAR’s growing dependence on Russian security providers at a time when reports suggest mineral revenues are being used to cover their costs.
Meanwhile, CAR authorities and the Russian-linked Officers Union for International Security (SOMB), also known as COSI, said that CAR forces and Russian military specialists conducted a joint air-and-ground operation in the Nabagaye-Tissi area of Vakaga prefecture against a coalition of up to 1,300 fighters.
SOMB said the fighters were preparing an offensive in the second half of October and had a rear base near the Chad-Sudan-CAR tri-border area.
It claimed more than 60 fighters were killed or wounded and that documents recovered during the operation indicated links to the rebel Popular Front for the Renaissance of the Central African Republic (FPRC).
