The authorities of the United States have condemned the recent airstrike attributed to the Armed Forces of Sudan against Chadian territory and have warned of the danger that the war in the African country, which began in April 2023 between the Army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), could cross its borders.
"The United States condemns the recent bombings by the Sudanese Armed Forces within Chad," stated the U.S. special envoy for Arab and African Affairs, Massad Boulos. "The violence must stop in Sudan and beyond," he added in a message disseminated on social media after the events, which have already been "firmly condemned" by Yamena.
Boulos emphasized that "there is no military solution to the conflict nor justification for expanding the violence beyond the borders of Sudan," urging the contenders to "immediately accept a humanitarian ceasefire, protect civilians, and allow unrestricted humanitarian access."
He also urged that "the United Nations Security Council must act urgently to ensure that the arms embargo and the sanctions regime reflect the reality of the conflict and hold accountable those who fuel and expand this war," requesting that the current embargo, limited to Darfur, be expanded to the entire country.
The envoy insisted that "external military and financial support to the parties must stop" and confirmed a "productive call" with the president of Chad, Mahamat Idris Déby, in which they addressed "the mutual concern about the possibility that the war in Sudan could surpass the borders, inciting further escalation and threatening regional peace and stability."
On the other hand, he explained that he discussed with Déby the "vital role" of Chad in "facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Darfur region and supporting Sudanese refugees." "I expressed our gratitude for Chad's role and hope for continued cooperation and close coordination on these and other shared priorities," he concluded.
The Chadian Army reported on Saturday that several planes and drones, allegedly belonging to Sudanese forces, attacked a column of vehicles within its territory last week, more than a hundred kilometers from the border, which led Yamena to place its Armed Forces on "the highest level of alert."
Sudan denies the bombings and reproaches the accusations
The Sudanese government expressed this Thursday its "perplexity" at the accusations, through a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in which it claims its "full respect" for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Chad.
The Ministry has stated that it follows with "interest" the statements regarding the incident and has criticized that it is attributed "categorically" to the Sudanese Army the authorship of the attacks in Chad "before any professional and independent investigation into the circumstances of the event has been carried out."
In this regard, it has defended that "the Armed Forces of Sudan fulfill their constitutional duty to defend the sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity of Sudan (...) while committing to respect the sovereignty of neighboring countries and not to attack their territories."
Khartoum has also reproached the "silence" of the United States in the face of "daily" attacks against Sudanese soil perpetrated by "militias from within Ethiopia," assuring that the latest episode would have occurred on the morning of this Thursday.
The Ministry has called on "all" parties to avoid "incomplete versions," considering that this would contribute to reducing tensions and reinforcing security in the region.
The United Nations had already warned in March of a concerning projection of the Sudanese conflict towards Chad, after a drone attack caused deaths in the border city of Tiné, in the east of the country. Chad shares more than 1,000 kilometers of border with Sudan and hosts several hundred thousand refugees who have escaped from the war between the Sudanese Army and the RSF since April 2023.
The civil war broke out due to deep disagreements over the integration of the paramilitary group into the Armed Forces, a clash that derailed the transition opened after the fall in 2019 of the regime of Omar Hasan al Bashir, already seriously damaged after the coup that forced the departure of then Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok.