The Chadian army has targeted Chadian opposition sites located inside Libyan territory, and successfully destroyed several ammunition and weapons depots.
The strike was launched with the approval of the Libyan government, a source at the Chadian presidency informed Al-Jazeera news.
The Front for Change and Concord in Chad (FACT) also reported that the airstrikes resulted in the deaths of four opposition fighters, and declared the cancellation of the ceasefire declared in April 2021.
In a statement issued, FACT stated, “The ruling military council has declared war on us. Therefore, the Coalition for Change and Concord in Chad (CCOC) announces the end of the unilateral ceasefire declared in April 2021, and assures the military council that its response will be swift and unrestricted.”
This announcement made by the coalition on Friday raises concerns about the possibility of a full-scale return of hostilities between the Chadian government, and the CCOC.
The fighting claimed the life of President Idriss Déby during battle in 2021, before his son, Mahamat Idriss Déby, assumed power.
Since then, President Déby, in his capacity as interim President, has been seeking to foster unity with various armed rebel groups in Chad. He has also granted amnesty to hundreds of prisoners affiliated with the CCOC, to encourage their full participation in peace talks.
In June, Chadian Minister of Defence, General Daoud Yaya Brahim strongly criticised the rebel groups, accusing them of recruiting minors to carry out attacks from Libya.
“We have seen Chadians enlisted as mercenaries in Libya, a country where I consider that there is no state,” he said, according to the AlWihda Info website.
“We are continuing our combing operations. They have even recruited minors. Most of these fighters are minors recruited to attack Chad again,” Brahim added.
He also stressed that “despite these provocations, the outstretched hand of the President of the Chadian transitional government remains a possibility of reconciliation.”
The Minister expressed his “regret at the stubbornness of certain individuals who deliberately seek to provoke armed conflicts.” He castigated the mercenaries who continue to attack Chad through Libya.
In May, the Chadian Presidency said that they are working alongside the US to secure stability in Libya. This came in a statement by the Chadian Presidency following Déby’s reception of Ambassador Richard Norland in the capital, N’Djamena.
The meeting focused on supporting the United Nations roadmap for holding Presidential and legislative elections in Libya, by the end of the year.
During the talks, Norland expressed concerns about the continuing violence in Sudan, which could undermine efforts to restore peace in Libya.
The statement concluded that the continuation of wars in neighbouring countries “negatively affects development goals in Chad and destabilises security and stability there.”
