Chad closes its border with Sudan after fighters spilled into its territory

CAIRO (AP) - Chad said Monday it has closed its border with Sudan "until further notice," calling it an attempt to limit the spread of conflict into its territory after multiple crossings by fighters with the warring Sudanese factions.

"It aims to prevent any risk of the conflict spreading to our soil, to protect our citizens and refugee populations, and to guarantee the stability and territorial integrity of our country," government spokesperson Gassim Cherif Mahamat said in a statement.

Chad's decision came after the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces attacked the border town of Tine, or Tina, over the weekend. The Sudanese Armed Forces and allied groups said they repelled the attack and forced RSF fighters to flee into Chad.

The town is one of the last areas still held by the Sudanese military in the sprawling Darfur region, which has been under RSF control since October 2025.

Hundreds of thousands of Sudanese refugees have poured across the border into Chad since the conflict began. Chad's statement noted that "exceptional exceptions, strictly justified by humanitarian reasons, may be granted" to the border closure.

Chad closed its border for a period shortly after Sudan plunged into chaos in April 2023, when a power struggle between the military and the RSF exploded into open fighting in the capital, Khartoum, and elsewhere in the country.

The war has killed more than 40,000 people, according to United Nations figures, but aid groups say the true number could be many times higher.

The conflict has created the world's largest humanitarian crisis, with over 14 million people forced to flee their homes. It also has fueled disease outbreaks and pushed parts of Sudan into famine.