Operation Boma's Wrath was a military operation launched by

Chad Chad (; ar, تشاد , ; french: Tchad, ), officially the Republic of Chad, '; ) is a landlocked country at the crossroads of North and Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic ...

against

Boko Haram Boko Haram, officially known as ''Jamā'at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da'wah wa'l-Jihād'' ( ar, جماعة أهل السنة للدعوة والجهاد, lit=Group of the People of Sunnah for Dawah and Jihad), is an Islamic terrorist organization ...

. Operation was launched on March 31, 2020, one week after Boko Haram's attack on Chadian military base in which 92 Chadian soldiers were killed. Aim of the operation was to destroy hidden

jihadist Jihadism is a neologism which is used in reference to "militant Islamic movements that are perceived as existentially threatening to the West" and "rooted in political Islam."Compare: Appearing earlier in the Pakistani and Indian media, Wes ...

bases and repulse their forces out of Chad. Operation lasted 10 days and according to Chadian military it resulted in roughly 1000 insurgents killed, their bases in Chad destroyed, and capture of arms caches previously taken from Chad.

Background

On March 23, 2020 Boko Haram attacked Chadian military base on an island in

Lake Chad Lake Chad (french: Lac Tchad) is a historically large, shallow, endorheic lake in Central Africa, which has varied in size over the centuries. According to the ''Global Resource Information Database'' of the United Nations Environment Programme, ...

. Chadian troops were attacked 5 AM and they fought against the insurgents until 12 PM when the insurgents left by speedboats. During the attack 92 Chadian soldiers were killed, 24 army vehicles destroyed, and weapons belonging to Chadian military were stolen.

President of Chad This is a list of heads of state of Chad since the country gained independence from France in 1960 to the present day. A total of six people have served as head of state of Chad (not counting two Interim Heads of State). Additionally, one pers ...

Idriss Deby Idriss may refer to: * Idriss Arnaoud Ali (born 1945), President of the National Assembly of Djibouti * Idriss Carlos Kameni (born 1984), Cameroonian football player * Idriss Déby (1952–2021), President of Chad * Idriss Ndele Moussa, Chadian p ...

traveled to the military base a day after the attack, he said that Chadian military has never lost so many men in one attack. Three days of national mourning for fallen soldiers were declared.

Timeline

27 March 2020 – Fouli and Kaya departments of

Lac region Lac ( ar, البحيرة) is one of the 23 regions of Chad. Its capital is Bol. It is chiefly composed of the former Lac Prefecture. The region includes Chad's portion of the shore of Lake Chad. Geography The region borders Kanem Region to the ...

were declared a war zone and state of emergency came into effect in same departments. Several civilian communities fled the region. 31 March 2020 – Operation begun and Chad deployed forces to neighboring countries

Niger ) , official_languages = , languages_type = National languagesNigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

confirmed that his country has an agreement with Niger and Nigeria. 1 April 2020 – First fighting occurred. Video of Chadian soldiers singing morale-rising

victory songs ''Victory Songs'' is the third studio album by Finnish folk metal band Ensiferum. It was released on 20 April 2007 by Spinefarm. It is the band's first full-length album to feature new members Petri Lindroos, Sami Hinkka and Janne Parviainen, and ...

, as well as video of Chadian soldiers beating unconscious bodies of terrorists to death were obtained and released by

PR Nigeria Yushau Abdulhameed Shuaib (born October 10, 1969) is a Nigerian writer. He is an author, public relations practitioner and public affairs commentator on national and international issues, including subjects such as public relations practice, gen ...

. 2 April 2020 – Prefect of Fouli department announced that 20,000 people have been displaced from the areas of military operation, since the beginning of the operation. 3 April 2020 – Chadian military announced that in first 48 hours of operation, 76 jihadists have been killed while 7 Chadian soldiers lost their lives.

Abubakar Shekau Abu Mohammed Abubakar al-Sheikawi (also known by the alias ''Darul Akeem wa Zamunda Tawheed'', or ''Darul Tawheed''; "the abode of monotheism"; born 1965, 1969 or 1975 – 19 May 2021) was a Kanuri man known as the leader of Boko Haram, a Nigeri ...

, leader of Boko Haram called for resistance by his troops in audio tape which was released. 4 April 2020 – President of Chad, Idriss Deby announced that all islands on the Lake Chad were cleared of terrorist presence, he applauded the work of defense forces of his country. 5 April 2020 – President of Chad, Idriss Deby announced that Chadian forces destroyed five

bases, he also announced that Chadian territory has been cleared of terrorists. Several wounded Chadian soldiers were transferred to the hospital in

N'Djamena N'Djamena ( ) is the capital and largest city of Chad. It is also a special statute region, divided into 10 districts or ''arrondissements''. The city serves as the centre of economic activity in Chad. Meat, fish and cotton processing are the ...

. 6 April 2020 – Chadian soldiers fought Boko Haram in

Magumeri Magumeri is a Local Government Area of Borno State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Magumeri. It has an area of 4,856 km and a population of 140,231 at the 2006 census. The postal code of the area is 602. It is one of the sixt ...

in Nigeria, they allegedly freed Nigerian soldiers held captive. Some Nigerians on social media praised Idriss Deby for his efforts against jihadists, while some others have strongly condemned his decision to lead his troops to Nigerian soil. Idriss Deby told leader of Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau "to surrender or die". Chadian government spokesman confirmed that Chadian territory has been completely cleared of terrorist presence. 7 April 2020 – Abubakar Shekau responded to Idriss Deby saying that Boko Haram will go after him, Abubakar also said that despite the setback inflicted on his group by Chadian army they will continue to fight. 9 April 2020 – Chadian army announced that around 1000 Boko Haram fighters have been killed and that 50 of their motorized boats have been destroyed, while 52 Chadian soldiers were killed and 192 wounded. Military spokesman also said that Chadian soldiers have been deployed on the Lake Chad banks of Niger and Nigeria and that they will remain there until forces of these two countries arrive.

Aftermath

On 19 April 2020 44 out of 58 arrested suspected Boko Haram terrorists died of poisoning in prison in Chad. Pathologist's report revealed that a lethal substance was found in bodies of dead prisoners. Despite the success of the operation Boko Haram attacks in Chad still continue, killing both military personnel and civilians.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boma's Wrath, Operation Boko Haram in Chad Boko Haram insurgency Boma's Wrath Boma's Wrath Battles involving Chad Battles involving Niger Battles involving Boko Haram