Chadian soldiers board a Multinational Joint Task Force boat at a military base in Lake Chad Province on May 6, 2026. Chad declared three days of national mourning after a new attack by Boko Haram jihadists on May 6 that killed two generals in the volatile Lake Chad Basin. Chadian soldiers are frequently targeted by Boko Haram in the Lake Chad region, a vast expanse of water and marshland dotted with islands, located between Nigeria, Cameroon, Niger, and Chad. (Photo by Joris Bolomey / AFP)
The Chadian President, Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno, made a firm declaration last May: “We will continue this fight with unwavering resolve until this threat is completely eradicated.” His statement came in response to a brazen assault carried out by a faction of the Boko Haram insurgent group against a military outpost in Barka Tolorom, situated along the Chadian shoreline of Lake Chad. The attack claimed the lives of 24 soldiers, sending shockwaves through the region.
