Chad declares state of emergency in Lake Province after deadly Boko Haram attack

N’Djamena, May 8 (IANS) Chad has declared a 20-day state of emergency in the Lake province following terrorist attacks by Boko Haram militants on soldiers.

According to a statement released late Thursday by the country’s army, the emergency measure will run from midnight on May 7 to midnight on May 27.

The statement urged officials and security forces to take “all necessary measures” to ensure the safety of people and their property during the period, Xinhua news agency reported.

“Violations of measures taken under the state of emergency are punishable in accordance with applicable laws. The measures taken pursuant to this decree cease to have effect upon the termination of the state of emergency,” the statement said.

Twenty-three Chadian soldiers were killed and 26 others injured on Monday in an assault by Boko Haram militants on the Barka Tolorom island military base in the province.

“I express the nation’s deepest condolences, and to the wounded soldiers receiving care, I wish a speedy recovery,” Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno said in a message posted on his social media platforms after visiting the injured soldiers in a hospital.

Chadian army spokesman Issakha Acheikh Chanane said the militants launched the assault on the Barka Tolorom island base in Lake Chad province at about 10 p.m. local time on Monday.

Another attack was reported on Wednesday by local media, but there was no official announcement regarding the number of casualties.

The Lake province is located in the Lake Chad region, bordering Nigeria, Niger and Cameroon. The region is regularly the scene of attacks attributed to the terror group Boko Haram and its splinter faction, the Islamic State West Africa Province.

The militant group Boko Haram has been active in the Lake Chad Basin for more than a decade, inflicting heavy human and material losses across the region.

–IANS

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