Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Deby ordered the military to retaliate against any Sudanese armed groups after a drone strike killed at least 16 civilians near the Sudan-Chad frontier, Sudan Tribune reported on March 18. A military source confirmed the deaths and attributed the drone to the Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, which denied responsibility and instead blamed the Sudanese Armed Forces, or SAF, which also denied involvement.

In late February, Chad closed its entire 1,300 kilometer (approximately 808 mile) border with Sudan, placed its forces on maximum alert and warned that it would target both the SAF and the RSF if cross-border attacks continued. Since the outbreak of the Sudanese civil war in April 2023, Chad has remained a close ally of the United Arab Emirates, which has been accused of supporting the RSF via Chadian territory, where weapons and other equipment were reportedly smuggled into Sudan.