By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola
Chad has declared a three-day national mourning period following fresh Boko Haram attacks that claimed the lives of at least 24 soldiers and two senior military generals in the troubled Lake Chad Basin.
The Chadian government, in a statement issued on Wednesday, 6 May, 2026 announced that the mourning period would run from midnight of Wednesday, 6 May to midnight of Saturday, 9 May in honour of troops killed during terrorist attacks carried out on May 4 and May 6.
According to military sources, the violence began on Monday, 4 May evening when Boko Haram insurgents attacked the Barka Tolorom military base located on the Chadian side of Lake Chad, killing no fewer than 24 soldiers and leaving several others injured.
However, in a fresh escalation on Wednesday afternoon, boats belonging to Chadian security and defence forces reportedly ran into a Boko Haram ambush while patrolling the island areas of the lake.
An officer from the Chadian General Staff confirmed that two military generals were killed during the ambush, further worsening the security situation in the region.
Consequently, the government ordered that flags be flown at half-mast nationwide throughout the mourning period, while all festive activities and public celebrations remain suspended across the country.
Reacting to the attacks, Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno vowed that the country would sustain its military operations against Boko Haram until the insurgents are completely defeated.
“We will continue the fight with renewed determination until this threat is completely eradicated,” Deby declared after Monday’s deadly attack.
Meanwhile, the Lake Chad region, which stretches across Chad, Nigeria, Cameroon and Niger, has remained a major stronghold for Boko Haram and its rival faction, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).
The vast network of islands and marshlands surrounding the lake has continued to provide strategic hideouts for jihadist fighters, making military operations in the area particularly difficult.
Security analysts noted that recent months have witnessed renewed attacks by Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad (JAS), one of Boko Haram’s factions, involving kidnappings and assaults on military formations and security outposts.
Similarly, the latest attacks revived memories of the October 2024 assault on a military base in the Lake Chad Basin, where about 40 Chadian soldiers were killed by Boko Haram fighters.
In response to that attack, President Deby launched “Operation Haskanite,” a military offensive aimed at dismantling Boko Haram strongholds and weakening the group’s operational capacity within Chadian territory.
Although the Chadian military announced in February 2025 that the operation had successfully deprived Boko Haram of “any sanctuary on Chadian territory,” the renewed attacks suggest that the insurgents still retain operational capabilities within the region.
