Leaders of Libya, Sudan and Niger issued a joint statement on Thursday expressing concern over the ongoing unrest in Chad and urging the neighboring country for restraint and for looking for the greater good of Chad and the Chadian people.

The joint statement urged for dialogue and responsibility to preserve Chad’s sovereignty, security and unity of territory as well as the security of the region, calling for a constructive dialogue among all parties away from force and hailing the role of the late President Idriss Deby in achieving peace and stability in the region as well as in fighting terrorist groups.

The joint statement reiterated the need to activate the agreement for cooperation in security and border monitoring on the joint borders of Libya, Chad, Sudan and Niger that was signed in 2018, urging the African Security and Peace Council to hold an emergency session and take measures to alleviate the tension and regain stability in the region.

Meanwhile, Chad - Libya's neighboring country to the south - has been seeing heavy fighting between the army and rebel forces, which include groups that were fighting alongside Khalifa Haftar's forces in Libya. The rebels aim to topple the government after they had killed President Deby who ruled Chad for the last 30 years.