Addis Ababa March 24, 2020: The Chairperson of the African Union Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat, has learned with deep sadness of the deadly and quasi simultaneous attacks perpetrated by Boko Haram against a Chadian army position in the area of Boma, in the Lake Chad region, and a convoy of the Nigerian army in Konduga in Borno State,Nigeria.

During these attacks, 92 soldiers were killed and 47 wounded on the Chadian army side, and 70 Nigerian soldiers were killed. In this particularly painful circumstance, the Chairperson expresses his sincere condolences and total solidarity with the President of the Republic of Chad HE Idriss Deby Itno and the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria HE Muhammadu Buhari, as well as to the defence and security forces of the two countries.These attacks are yet a further stark reminder that terrorism remains particularly aggressive in the Lake Chad basin, as it is throughout the Sahel region.

The Chairperson urgently appeals for continental and international solidarity with the countries of the Lake Chad basin and the G5 Sahel region who are at the forefront of the fight against terrorism.

The Chairperson respectfully bows before the memory of the Chadian and Nigerian soldiers who fell in the field of battle. He also extends his deepest condolences to the families of the victims and wishes a speedy recovery to the wounded.