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), may extend beyond its borders.
"The United States condemns the recent bombings by the Sudanese Armed Forces inside Chad," said 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 shared on social media after the events, which have also been repudiated by Yamena.
In this regard, he emphasized that "there is no military solution to the conflict nor justification for expanding the violence beyond the borders of Sudan," while urging the parties to "immediately accept a humanitarian ceasefire, to protect civilians, and to allow unrestricted humanitarian access."
He also demanded 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," calling for the embargo currently limited to Darfur to be applied to all Sudanese territory.
Boulos 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 both addressed "the mutual concern about the possibility of the war in Sudan crossing borders, inciting further escalation and threatening regional peace and stability."
On the other hand, he indicated 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 appreciation 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, bombed a column of vehicles located within its territory and more than one hundred kilometers from the border line the previous week, which led Yamena to place its Armed Forces on "maximum alert."
The United Nations had already warned in March about the disturbing spread of the Sudanese conflict towards Chad, after a drone attack caused deaths in the border town 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 internal conflict in Sudan erupted due to deep discrepancies over the integration of the paramilitary group within the Armed Forces, a disagreement that derailed the transition opened after the overthrow in 2019 of the regime of Omar Hasán al Bashir, already deteriorated after the coup that removed from power the then Prime Minister, Abdalá Hamdok.