CAIRO (AP) — Violent clashes between opposing forces near Sudan’s border with Chad have resulted in 17 fatalities and numerous injuries, according to a humanitarian medical organization.
Monday’s assault in the border town of Tina left 66 individuals in critical condition, reported Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières or MSF) in a social media statement released Tuesday evening.
Sudan’s military forces announced that the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) had broadened their offensive operations targeting military installations in Tina, though army personnel successfully defended against the assault and forced the attackers to retreat.
These violent incidents represent an escalation in border region combat between government troops and the RSF, groups that have been engaged in warfare since April 2023. United Nations data indicates the ongoing conflict has claimed over 40,000 lives, though humanitarian organizations believe the actual death toll may be significantly higher.
The town of Tina represents one of the final strongholds maintained by Sudan’s armed forces within the vast Darfur region, territory that has remained under RSF dominance since October 2025. The adjacent Tine border crossing previously served as the primary corridor for international humanitarian assistance from Chad during periods when the Adre crossing point was temporarily shuttered.
Chad announced last month it had sealed its Sudanese border “until further notice” as a measure to prevent conflict from spreading across its territorial boundaries.
Victims from Monday’s violence received medical treatment from MSF personnel and Chadian healthcare workers at a recently established medical facility in Tine, Chad.
An MSF medical professional working at the facility reported that physicians are providing care without access to running water or electrical power, depending instead on backup generators and solar energy systems. Medical supply reserves are reportedly dwindling due to the sudden influx of new casualties.
Chad had previously closed its border temporarily following Sudan’s descent into chaos in April 2023, when political tensions between military leadership and the RSF erupted into armed conflict throughout the capital city of Khartoum and other regions.
The Darfur and Kordofan areas have become central battlegrounds in Sudan’s civil war, with Kordofan experiencing frequent deadly drone bombardments. Military analysts and aid workers have previously noted that increased aerial attacks in Kordofan have caused mounting civilian casualties and disrupted relief efforts.
