Tchad launches airstrikes on jihadists: dozens of fishermen feared dead

Nigerian fishermen are feared dead after Chad’s military launched airstrikes on jihadist positions near the Nigerian border on Lake Chad. The operation, now in its third day, has drawn sharp criticism from local sources.

According to witnesses, including members of an anti-jihadist self-defense group, “it’s currently impossible to determine the exact death toll since the operation remains ongoing”. The strikes, targeting Boko Haram-controlled islands, followed a deadly attack on Chad’s military on May 4, which left at least 24 soldiers dead and several injured.

Forty fishermen missing after aerial assault

A union leader reported that 40 Nigerian fishermen are missing and presumed drowned following the bombings. The fishermen had paid a tax to Boko Haram to access fishing zones in the area. The airstrikes targeted Shuwa Island, a remote hotspot for Boko Haram and a major fishing hub where fishermen from Nigeria converge. “Many were killed—most victims came from Doron Baga, a lakeside Nigerian town, and Taraba State,” said Adamu Haladu, a fisherman from Baga.

controversial military response

Chad’s military has yet to issue a statement regarding civilian casualties. This isn’t the first time the army has faced accusations of mistakenly targeting civilians during anti-jihadist operations. In October 2024, a retaliatory strike on Tilma Island killed dozens of civilians, despite the army denying any harm to innocent bystanders. The operation was meant to avenge the deaths of 40 Chadian soldiers in a Boko Haram ambush.

The jihadist insurgency, which has claimed over 40,000 lives and displaced two million in Nigeria’s northeast, has spread across the Lake Chad region, encompassing parts of Niger, Cameroon, and Chad. Since 2009, the lake has become a stronghold for both Boko Haram and the Islamic State’s West Africa Province (ISWAP).

In 2015, Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon, and Niger revived a multinational joint task force to combat these groups. However, Niger withdrew from the alliance in 2025, reshaping regional security dynamics.