Chad has warned its traditional foe Sudan that it "reserves the legitimate right to respond" if attacked, following threats made by a senior Khartoum military official.

In a video broadcast on Sunday on Al Jazeera, the deputy commander of the Sudanese forces, Yasser Al-Atta, warned that the airport in the Chadian capital N'Djamena and at Amdjarras in northeastern Chad "are legitimate targets for the Sudanese armed forces."

The remarks "could be interpreted as a declaration of war if followed through," Chadian foreign ministry spokesperson Ibrahim Adam Mahamat said.

"Such rhetoric could lead to a dangerous escalation for the entire sub-region," and "Chad reserves the legitimate right to respond vigorously to any attempted aggression," he added.

'Declared war on Chad'

"Sudan has just declared war on Chad," declared former Chadian prime minister Saleh Kebzabo on his official Facebook page.

"We must take this very seriously, prepare for it militarily, and mobilise," he added.

Chad has accused the Sudanese government for over six decades of doing everything it can to destabilise its neighbour, notably by "orchestrating rebellions" and supporting the Boko Haram insurgent group.

Since April 2023, Sudan has been torn apart by a conflict pitting General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, head of the army and de facto ruler of the country since a 2021 coup, against his former deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, the chief of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Chad denies involvement in Sudan conflict

At the end of October 2024, N'Djamena denied any involvement in the Sudanese conflict but Khartoum's de facto rulers accused it of playing an active role in arms deliveries from the United Arab Emirates to the RSF.

The alleged support for the RSF has been highlighted in various reports – including one from the United Nations in January 2024 – but Chad and the UAE have consistently denied involvement.

The presence in El Fasher in Sudan's perennially restive Darfur region of a Zaghawa rebellion – an ethnic group also present in Chad – is N'Djamena's main concern.

It is led by Ousman Dillo, the younger brother of Chadian opposition leader Yaya Dillo Djerou who was killed by the Chadian army.

Deadly war in Sudan

In February 2008, a Zaghawa rebellion based in Sudan launched a lightning offensive in Chad alongside other groups, forcing former President Idriss Deby Itno to take refuge in his presidential palace, before successfully repelling the rebels with decisive support from former ruler France.

The war in Sudan since April 2023 has left thousands of people dead, displaced more than 11 million people and created the risk of widespread famine, in what the UN considers the worst humanitarian crisis in recent times.

Two million people have also fled to neighbouring countries, including 1.5 million to Chad.