Chad Threatens Withdrawal From International Task Force Over Terror Attacks

Chadian soldiers participated in the “Flintlock 2017” military exercises. Chad is currently a member of the Multinational Joint Task Force.(wikimedia commons)

Mahamat Idriss Deby, President of Chad, discussed his country’s possible withdrawal from the Multinational Joint Task Force over its failure to contain insurgents (MNJTF) on November 4, according to Reuters. Specifically, Deby cited the organization’s inability to prevent a recent terror attack in the Lake Chad region.

According to Chad, the attack began when several hundred Boko Haram fighters crossed the border with Nigeria and targeted a military garrison in the town of Ngouboua, leading to the death of 40 soldiers; this marks the deadliest Boko Haram incident near Lake Chad since 2020.

During a visit to the affected region, Deby cited “a lack of joint efforts against a common enemy”, referring to the MNJTF’s perceived failure to prevent the attack. Deby also stated his belief that the taskforce has been too slow in predicting and preventing Boko Haram attacks.

In 2020, Deby criticized the roles of Nigeria and Niger in the organization, claiming that Chadian forces had contributed the most against Boko Haram.

According to Chadian academic Remadj Hoinathy, Deby is also frustrated by the lack of immediate assistance from other member countries in the wake of this attack. The Institute for the Study of War has written that this is a ploy by Deby to distract the international community and population from his country’s role in the ongoing war in Sudan.

Deby has said that, despite its withdrawal, Chad will continue to fight Boko Haram inside its own borders.

Chad has been involved in the war against Boko Haram since 2015, assisting Nigeria’s military offensives against the group and being a formal member of the MNJTF, an anti terrorism task force based around lake Chad whose other members include Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon, and Benin. Starting in the 2010s, the organization committed itself to combating Boko Haram and the Islamic State’s West Africa province in the region.

Chad represents a major force in the MNJTF, being both one of its more modern and experienced militaries. Without Chad’s support, other members of the MNJTF might be incapable of resisting a Boko Haram resurgence.

Furthermore, in the wake of France’s military withdrawals from certain countries in the Sahel, the MNJTF has been forced to pick up more slack in the war against insurgent groups. With recent political developments in other Sahel countries, Chad has also been left as one of the few pro-western regimes in the region. It is among the only West African countries willingly to host French and American military and intelligence assets, making it a linchpin for cooperation between the west and the other members of the MNJTF. A Chadian withdrawal could not only deprive  the coalition of its own resources, but also jeopardize this cooperation.