Chad deploys troops, orders retaliation

On Wednesday, President Idris Mahamat Déby ordered the Chadian military to totally close the Sudanese border, remain on high alert, and retaliate against any attacks coming from Sudan. Local sources reported the deployment of over 200 military vehicles to the border city of Tiné. The order came after a drone attack on Tiné earlier that day, which killed 17 people and injured 123 civilians attending a funeral. Though the exact motive is unknown, the attack is likely the result of Sudan’s civil war, in which rival factions have battled over the city of Tina, across the border from Tiné, for months. Chad receives financial support from the United Arab Emirates in return for helping supply Sudan’s rebels, but it is much closer to the Sudanese government ethnically. Because of this, both the Sudanese government and the rebels have attacked Chad, and now Déby has made his strongest move yet in reaction. Watch for worsening tensions along this border to contribute to a geopolitical prophecy found in the Psalms.