Fresh revelations have surfaced about one of the Hungarian state’s most opaque ventures in Africa’s Sahel region. Citing multiple independent sources, Magyar Hang reports that Gáspár Orbán was not merely a participant in the Chadian deployment but, from the outset, served as its commander in the rank of captain—despite the Orbán government having sought to deny the very existence of the intervention. Fellow soldiers reportedly described the “prince” as behaving like “a philosopher who had wandered onto a battlefield”.
Gáspár Orbán was to be reported to by all
According to Magyar Hang, on 20 September 2023, aboard a Hungarian Defence Forces Airbus departing from Kecskemét air base, Brigadier General Gábor Sánta announced after take-off that he would hand over command to “the Captain”, naming Gáspár Orbán as head of the Chadian mission. Accounts suggest members of the delegation reported directly to him.
This sharply contradicts earlier official communications. Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky, then defence minister, had described Orbán merely as a “liaison” in an interview with Index, while former Chief of the General Staff Gábor Böröndi later said the Prime Minister’s son had participated for a time in a governmental planning group, adding that it was a “gross exaggeration” to claim he had led the mission. In parliament, Defence Minister Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi declined to comment on the new reports, stating only that an investigation is under way.
Magyar Hang reports that Gáspár Orbán spent extended periods in Chad, mostly in civilian dress, though at times in military uniform. One source said he behaved “like a philosopher straying into a military exercise”, frequently using his Iridium satellite phone, while some members of the team referred to him behind his back as “the prince”. The paper also claims that another captain’s insignia was removed to ensure no Hungarian of equal rank served alongside him.
Villa and accidents
A series of unusual incidents reportedly surrounded the mission. The Hungarian side, for instance, leased a villa on a long-term basis, intended to serve as a future embassy. Its furnishings were described by one source as “as if Győzike had been the interior designer”. Following refurbishment overseen by the security firm Inrimas, part of the team moved in; however, during the first evening’s showers, one Hungarian reportedly suffered an electric shock from stray current, prompting everyone to return to the hotel the following day.
According to the paper, Inrimas—employing former soldiers and ex-Foreign Legion personnel—arrived in Chad before the Hungarian military to protect staff of the Hungary Helps humanitarian programme. Hungary Helps received 817 million forints in funding to open its Chadian office even before any official decision had been taken. Magyar Hang further reports that in 2024, ahead of presidential elections, local intelligence services searched the Hungarian delegation’s hotel rooms and seized small arms, bulletproof vests, a drone, thermal imaging equipment and other devices. This did not affect Hungarian soldiers, who were by then stationed at a French military base; however, the security firm has reportedly not had its equipment returned.
Hungarian universities linked to the mission
The mission, according to the paper, rested on four pillars: military, humanitarian, agricultural and investment cooperation. Óbuda University confirmed that, at the government’s request, it launched an English-language Humanitarian Response Manager course for Chadian participants over two academic years, receiving a total of 40.8 million forints in support. The Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences also acknowledged a presence in Chad but has yet to provide further details.
Parliament approved the Chadian military mission in November 2023. The government said it had been requested by the Chadian president, although the letter of request was not presented to the defence committee and was later obtained by Telex. While the official justification cited training Chadian forces, counter-terrorism efforts and curbing illegal migration towards Europe, the mission ultimately did not proceed.
Hungary’s military mission to Chad leaked: “direct combat operations” were in plans
Did Gáspár Orbán anticipate half the force being lost?
A defence submission from November 2025, as reported by Magyar Hang, projected mission costs of more than 4 billion forints for 2026, alongside approximately 1.15 billion forints in national security spending and 21.8 billion forints in logistical expenditure. Earlier, Captain Szilveszter Pálinkás claimed that during their university years in London, Gáspár Orbán had told him the mission was calculated with a 50 per cent loss of combat effectiveness—in other words, the loss of half the Hungarian troops. Yet ahead of elections, the government also sought to deny that any Chadian mission had been planned at all.
Gáspár Orbán is the only son of Viktor Orbán, the former prime minister. He was previously a footballer and later led a charismatic Christian youth movement known as Felház. In the summer of 2019 he joined the military, and in 2020 was promptly sent on a state scholarship to the prestigious Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, alma mater of, among others, the heir to the British throne.
Another one of our previous articles in the issue: President of Chad may invite Hungarian troops to his country during Budapest visit
