The warplanes are based near N’Djamena, the Chadian capital, as part of France’s Barkhane counter-terrorism force in the Sahel. “The column had been spotted at least 48 hours beforehand,” armed forces spokesman Patrik Steiger told AFP. He did not identify which armed group they belonged to. Deby, a former head of the armed forces, became president of Chad in 1990 after ousting his former boss, Hissene Habre. The latest incursion follows several recent air strikes by the Chadian air force against Libya-based rebels in the far north.

Source: The North Africa Journal February 04, 2019 16:41 UTC