YAOUNDE, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- Chad on Monday announced the closure of its border with Sudan, citing "repeated incursions and violations committed by the warring parties in Sudan on Chadian territory."
The closure "aims to prevent the risk of extending the conflict to Chad, protect citizens and refugees, and maintain the stability and territorial integrity of our country," Minister of Communication and Government Spokesman Gassim Cherif Mahamat said in a statement.
He said movement of persons and goods along the border has been suspended, but special exemptions strictly justified by humanitarian reasons may be granted.
Chad shares a long and porous border with Sudan, which has been engulfed in a deadly conflict since 2023, when fighting broke out between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, leaving tens of thousands dead and millions displaced both inside the country and across its borders. ■
