Chad has expressed frustration over what it perceives as being left to combat terrorism in the Lake Chad Basin without sufficient international or regional support.
Following a deadly late-October attack by Boko Haram that claimed the lives of about 40 soldiers, Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Déby launched “Operation Haskanite” to eliminate the insurgents.
Authorities claim the operation has been successful, with around 100 fighters killed, including a prominent leader, Kanaye Djougoun. “I can confirm that there are no more Boko Haram groups on Chadian soil,” said Saleh Haggar, governor of Lake Province, emphasizing that the operation has driven fighters out of Chad and dealt a significant blow to their ranks.
Despite these efforts, Chad’s government asserts that Boko Haram continues to operate from neighboring Niger and Nigeria, using the Lake Chad Basin as a supply area. The region has faced consistent militant activity since Boko Haram’s insurgency began in northeastern Nigeria in 2009.
Chad’s Minister of Communication, Boukar Michel, voiced dissatisfaction with the lack of international support for refugees, internally displaced people, and Chad’s defense forces. “Why is Chad alone on the battleground?” Michel questioned. “Why haven’t humanitarians or the international community provided help? We cannot be the only ones suffering losses.”
Chad has warned of a potential withdrawal from the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF), a regional security initiative formed in 2015 with contributions from Chad, Nigeria, Niger, and Cameroon, to combat Boko Haram and other insurgent groups.