An attack by the jihadist group Boko Haram killed 92 soldiers, said Chadian President Idriss Déby Itno, who visited the scene of the attack in Boma, in the Lac province, on Tuesday.
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"We lost 92 of our soldiers, non-commissioned officers and officers" in the attack that took place on the night of Sunday to Monday, "this is the first time that we have lost so many men," said the president in an intervention broadcast on a state channel. "The enemy has dealt a major blow to our defense system in this area," said a senior officer who requested anonymity.
Multiplication of attacks
The attack on soldiers on the Boma peninsula lasted at least seven hours and the reinforcements sent were themselves targeted, another soldier told AFP. According to him, 24 army vehicles were destroyed, including armored vehicles, while military equipment was recovered and taken away on five speedboats by elements of Boko Haram.
Boko Haram has been increasing attacks in the swampy islands of the Lake Chad basin in recent months, on the border with Nigeria, Chad, Niger and Cameroon.
The Boko Haram insurgency has left 36,000 people dead and nearly 2 million displaced in north-eastern Nigeria since its start in 2009, according to the UN. The jihadist group has extended its action to neighboring Niger, Chad and Cameroon.
Since 2015, the countries of the region have been fighting against these jihadists within the Multinational Joint Force (MNJTF), a regional coalition engaged around Lake Chad with the help of vigilance committees made up of inhabitants.
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