Chad urges international community to boost support after Boko Haram attack

Chad on Tuesday urged the international community to step up support for counter-terrorism efforts in the Sahel, after Boko Haram jihadists killed around 40 Chadian troops in a surprise attack.

The jihadist group late on Sunday targeted a military garrison in the Lake Chad region, an area plagued by various armed groups, in an offensive that killed some 40 “brave Chadian soldiers”, the government said in a statement published by spokesman Abderaman Koulamallah on Tuesday.

Around 20 people were also wounded, military sources said.

“The government is calling on the international community to intensify its support and to reinforce assistance in counter-terrorism efforts in particular in the Sahel region and Lake Chad basin,” the statement said.

“Determined collective action is essential to eradicate this scourge which threatens the stability and the development of the entire region,” it added.

Read more: France 24