Sudan-Chad Border Clashes Leave 17 Dead and 123 Injured
At least 17 people have been killed and 123 others wounded in renewed heavy fighting along Sudan's volatile border with Chad, according to the medical aid organisation Doctors Without Borders, known internationally as Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). The attacks, which occurred on Monday in the strategic town of Tina, represent a significant escalation in the long-running conflict between the Sudanese military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
MSF Reports Critical Casualties and Dire Medical Conditions
In a statement posted on social media platform X late Tuesday, MSF confirmed the grim toll, noting that 66 of the injured are in serious condition. The organisation's teams, working alongside Chadian health services, have been treating casualties at a newly established hospital in Tine, Chad. However, medical staff are operating under severe constraints, including a lack of reliable water and electricity, forcing reliance on generators and solar panels.
Stockpiles of essential medicines are reported to be running dangerously low due to the sudden influx of patients. An MSF staff member at the Tine hospital described the challenging conditions, emphasising the strain on limited resources as the conflict intensifies.
Strategic Significance of Tina and Border Closures
Tina is one of the last remaining areas in the vast Darfur region still under the control of the Sudanese military, following the RSF's takeover of most of Darfur in October 2025. The nearby Tine crossing has served as a crucial humanitarian corridor, becoming the sole route for cross-border aid deliveries from Chad after the Adre border crossing was temporarily closed in recent years.
In a move to prevent the conflict from spilling over, Chad announced last month that it had closed its border with Sudan "until further notice." This is not the first such closure; Chad initially sealed the border shortly after Sudan descended into chaos in April 2023, when a power struggle between the military and the RSF erupted into open warfare in Khartoum and other parts of the country.
Background of the Sudan Conflict and Regional Impact
The fighting in Tina is part of intensified clashes near the Chad-Sudan border between the army and the RSF, who have been locked in a brutal war since April 2023. United Nations figures indicate the conflict has claimed over 40,000 lives, though aid groups warn the actual death toll is likely much higher.
The Darfur and Kordofan regions have become the epicentre of the Sudan war, with analysts and humanitarian workers reporting a surge in deadly drone attacks in Kordofan that have taken a growing toll on civilians and severely hampered aid operations. The Sudanese army stated in an update that the RSF had expanded its attacks on military areas in Tina but claimed troops successfully repelled the assault and forced a withdrawal.
This latest violence underscores the protracted humanitarian crisis and the fragile security situation along the Chad-Sudan frontier, where access for aid remains critically constrained.
