At least 72 Chadian soldiers have reportedly been wounded during two weeks of fighting between government forces and a local armed group in the northern Tibesti region, where control of gold mining remains disputed.
An unnamed military source told AFP that the soldiers had been transferred to a military hospital in the capital, N’Djamena, since hostilities began on 14 October. The Chadian Government has not publicly confirmed the figure.
The Chadian Army previously confirmed that two officers were killed and nine members of its Mining Brigade wounded during an attack near Miski. It blamed the Miski Self-Defence Committee, which controls the gold-mining town.
The latest fighting follows an April 2025 peace agreement between the government and the committee. The agreement provided an amnesty for soldiers and militia members involved in earlier fighting and called for mining permits around Miski to be cancelled.
Mining was also to be suspended while environmental and social surveys were completed.
The committee accuses the Chadian Government of breaching the agreement by imposing levies on gold prospectors and undertaking mining activity in the region. Chadian authorities reject the allegations and maintain that they have honoured the agreement, according to DW.
In a 19 October statement, Chad’s Ombudsman of the Republic, Ambassador Saleh Kebzabo, called for restraint, respect for the peace agreement, and a return to dialogue. He renewed the appeal on 23 October, urging an immediate end to hostilities.
Tibesti borders Libya and Niger and hosts extensive informal gold mining. Competition among prospectors, armed groups, local communities, and state authorities has contributed to recurring tensions over access to the region’s mineral resources.
Write to France Pinzon at Mining.com.au
Main image: Chadian Press and Publishing Agency
