YAOUNDE, March 18 (Xinhua) -- Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno convened an emergency security meeting on Wednesday evening following a deadly drone attack along the Chad-Sudan border and ordered the "complete closure" of the border, according to a statement issued by the Chadian presidency.

The attack on Wednesday caused "several Chadian casualties," according to the statement. Local media reported that 16 people were killed.

The president instructed Prime Minister Allamaye Halina to dispatch a government delegation to the site to assess both human and material damage, the statement said.

He also ordered the National Army to retaliate against any attack originating from Sudan, it added.

Chad shares a long and porous border with Sudan, which has been engulfed in conflict since 2023, when fighting broke out between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. ■