Chad Detains Sudanese Major General and Expels Sudan’s Consul General in Abéché

Sources at the Sudanese Embassy in N’Djamena and the Sudanese Consulate in Abéché said on Sunday that Chadian authorities had closed the consulate, declared the Consul General and its staff persona non grata, and ordered them to leave the country.

Sources told Darfur24 that the closure followed claims of procedural violations involving Consul General Gaddafi Abdullah Mohamed.

According to the sources, the consul invited a Sudanese civil registry mission to Chad without formally notifying the Chadian authorities of the team’s mandate. The delegation had arrived to issue passports and civil documents for Sudanese nationals in Chad, but its members entered the country on visas limited to visits to the Consulate General and were not identified in their official capacities.

The sources said the consul took this step on the basis that a specialized passports and civil registry team from West Darfur State had relocated to the border town of Adré in Chad before the outbreak of the war, alongside other teams from Central and South Darfur states.

They also pointed to disagreements between the consulate and the Sudanese embassy. Upon the team’s arrival, the embassy requested that it begin issuing documents in N’Djamena before proceeding to Abéché. The consul objected, arguing that he had personally arranged for the team’s deployment.

According to the sources, the embassy later agreed that the team would start its work in Abéché before returning to N’Djamena.

However, while the team was preparing to travel from N’Djamena to Abéché, Chadian security authorities intervened and verified the identities of its members. The investigation revealed that they were Sudanese police officers who had entered Chad to process official documents without the knowledge of the relevant Chadian authorities.

The sources added that the passports and civil registry team was detained, including a police officer holding the rank of Major General who had previously served as Director of Police in West Darfur State. Other Sudanese police officers present in Chad and contacted by the team after its arrival were also detained.

As a result, Chadian authorities declared the consul and consulate staff persona non grata and gave them four days to leave Chadian territory, according to the sources.