Insurgents ambush, kill ‘six senior Chadian officers’

At least six senior officers from Chad’s armed forces have been reportedly killed and several others injured during an ambush by suspected Boko Haram insurgents.

Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency publication focused on the Lake Chad region, reports that the ambush took place on November 8, shortly after Mahamat Déby, Chad’s president, left the area to return to N’Djamena, the country’s capital.

“Among the fallen are high-ranking officers, including General Youssouf Abdoulaye Kari, General Adoum Issa, Colonel Lony Allatchi, Lieutenant Colonel Gorou Wardougou, Adam Nassour Mahamat, and Idrissa Malloum,” the report reads.

“In addition, the assault left other prominent figures wounded, such as General François Tatiko, General Moubarack Formalick, Bokhit Bachar, Lieutenant Jean Pierre Medar, and Ibrahim Ali.

“General Youssouf Abdoulaye Kari, a revered veteran and former member of Chad’s contingent in Mali, was one of the deceased, leaving a notable gap in military leadership.”

Makama added that Issakha Acheikh, Chadian army spokesperson, issued a statement regarding the “murderous ambush against the Chadian troops” but declined to share further specifics.

“The General Staff of the Armed Forces brings to the attention of national and international opinion that after a meticulous reorganisation of the Defence and Security Forces units by the President of the Republic, Supreme Chief of the Armed Forces, and the well-ordered launch of Operation Haskanite to dislodge Boko Haram terrorists from Lake Chad, a first clash took place today, Saturday, 9 November 2024,” Acheikh was quoted as saying.

Acheikh noted that after several hours of combat, “several terrorist elements were neutralised”.

He said “a detailed report would be shared later.”