An explosive device detonated and killed seven Chadian soldiers during a patrol in the country’s west near Lake Chad, according to the authorities.
The interim president, Mahamat Deby Itno, announced the deaths on Monday via social media.
Chadian police said they feared Boko Haram extremists from Nigeria were behind the attack, reigniting fears of an upsurge of violence near the border.
Boko Haram launched an insurgency more than a decade ago against Western education and aspires to establish Islamic law in Nigeria’s northeast. The insurgency has extended to West African countries including Cameroon, Niger and Chad.
According to the United Nations, over 36,000 people have been killed, the most of whom are in Nigeria.
Violence has returned to the Lake Chad area after a period of peace, following a successful operation launched in 2020 by the Chadian army to destroy the extremist group’s bases there. Schools, mosques and churches have reopened and humanitarian organizations have returned.
There are now concerns that a Boko Haram resurgence in Chad could affect the presidential election in May.
Melissa Enoch
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