Drone attack kills two soldiers in Chad near Sudan border, sources say

A drone attack killed two Chadian soldiers at a military camp near the Sudan border before dawn on Friday, local authorities and a security source said, adding it was not immediately clear who was behind the strike.

Two people were killed and one seriously injured in the attack on the border town of Tine, said Hamit Hassan, prefect of the department that includes Tine. He said he had no information on who was responsible.

A Chadian military intelligence officer told Reuters the drone came from Sudan but it was unclear whether it was launched by the country’s army or paramilitary Rapid Support Force.

"We are still in the process of confirming the origin of this drone. If it is a Sudanese military drone, we will exercise our right to retaliate," the officer, who asked not to be named because he wasn't authorized to speak on the record, told Reuters.

"The air force base in (the eastern city) Abeche is already on high alert and ground reinforcements are already in Tine."

Sudan's army and the RSF did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Tine serves as a transit camp for Sudanese refugees who later move on to safer camps away from the border, though humanitarian sources say a lack of funds to provide water, sanitation and shelter at inland camps has slowed relocation efforts.

More than 12 million people have already been displaced by the ongoing war in Sudan, according to the International Rescue Committee (IRC).

-Mahamat Ramadane/Reuters