2021 Northern Chad offensive

Northern Chad offensive
Part of the insurgency in Northern Chad

Tibesti Region in northern Chad, where clashes began
Date11 April – 9 May 2021[3]
(4 weeks)
Location
Tibesti Region and Kanem Region, Chad
Result

Chadian military victory[3]

Belligerents
 Chad
Supported by:
 France (alleged by rebels)[1]
 Niger[2]		 Front for Change and Concord in Chad
Military Command Council for the Salvation of the Republic
Commanders and leaders
Chad Idriss Déby †[4]
Chad Mahamat Déby
Chad Gen. Abakar Abdelkerim Daoud		 Mahamat Mahdi Ali (FACT)
Rachid Mahamat Tahir[5]
Casualties and losses
Commander killed
11 soldiers killed
58 soldiers wounded (Chadian government figures)[6]
1 helicopter destroyed		 540 fighters killed
210 fighters captured (Chadian government figures)[6]
6 civilians killed during protests[7][8]

The Northern Chad offensive was a military offensive in Northern Chad, initiated by the Chadian rebel group Front for Change and Concord in Chad (FACT), took place from 11 April to 9 May 2021.[9] It began in the Tibesti Region in the north of the country following the 2021 Chadian presidential election.[9]

Chadian President Idriss Déby was killed during the offensive on 20 April 2021, and his son Mahamat Déby became acting President of Chad on the same day. A special presidential election was expected in 2022, but was not held until 2024. The offensive ended in a Chadian military victory, though clashes continued in the country's north.

  1. ^ Mcallister, Edward (24 April 2021). "Ahead of Deby's funeral, Chad rebels say command hit by air strike". Reuters. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  2. ^ Hoije, Katarina (26 April 2021). "Chad's Ruling Junta Asks Niger to Help Capture Rebel Leader". Bloomberg News. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  3. ^ a b Asala, Kizzi (10 May 2021). "Chad: Army says operation against rebels is "over"". Africa News. Retrieved 11 May 2021. "The war came and we were able to control the situation (...). We cleaned up the place and there is nothing left now. The situation is back to normal," said the army chief of staff, Abakar Abdelkérim Daoud. "Everything is over, the national territory is secure. [...] "I ask the authorities to respect their rights as prisoners of war (and to) those who are still in rebellion outside the country to join the legal system so that together they can contribute to building a country of law and democracy," said Béchir Mahadi, head of military operations for FACT, with long, shaggy hair.
  4. ^ "Chadian President Idriss Deby dies on frontline, rebels vow to keep fighting". France24. 20 April 2021. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference bbc was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference canberra was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ "Chad protests turn deadly as demonstrators demand civilian rule". Al Jazeera. 27 April 2021. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  8. ^ "Grief and anger in Chad over deadly protest crackdown". Al Jazeera. 30 April 2021. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  9. ^ a b Takadji, Edouard; Larson, Krista (18 April 2021). "Chad army claims it has stopped rebel drive toward capital". Washington Post. Archived from the original on 20 April 2021. Retrieved 19 April 2021.