Within Chad UFOs
What Really Fell Near Zagobo in 2024?
The 2024 Zagobo incident shows how a frightening red-lit object became an ordinary radiosonde once officials recovered and examined it.
On this page
- The night of the reported descent
- How the radiosonde was identified
- Why the explanation matched the witnesses
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Introduction
The Zagobo incident of July 2024 is the clearest documented UFO-related case in Chad precisely because it did not remain unexplained. What initially appeared to villagers to be a mysterious red-lit object falling from the sky was recovered, examined and publicly identified as a Graw meteorological radiosonde carried by a weather balloon. Unlike many UFO reports that rely only on witness testimony or distant lights, this case involved physical recovery of the object, official identification and a technical explanation consistent with both the evidence and the witnesses’ descriptions.[Alwihda Info]alwihdainfo.comAlwihda Info Tchad : l’ASECNA rassure sur l’innocuité du ballon météorologique tombé à ZagoboAlwihda Info Tchad : l’ASECNA rassure sur l’innocuité du ballon météorologique tombé à Zagobo
Within the broader record of reported unidentified aerial phenomena in Chad, the Zagobo case stands out as an example of successful identification rather than enduring mystery. It demonstrates how an unfamiliar scientific instrument can appear extraordinary when encountered unexpectedly, especially at night.
The night of the reported descent
During the evening of 4 July 2024, residents of Zagobo, in the Dogou sub-prefecture of Tandjilé-Ouest Province, reported seeing a bright object descending into farmland behind their village. Witnesses consistently described an object displaying a conspicuous red light that could be seen from some distance, causing understandable concern among local residents unfamiliar with the equipment.[Alwihda Info]alwihdainfo.comOpen source on alwihdainfo.com.
According to local reporting, the object struck the ground at around 10 p.m. The prefect of Tandjilé-Ouest, General Doud Souleymane Ousmane, travelled to the location, supervised recovery of the device and arranged for it to be transported for examination. At this early stage, journalists described it simply as an unidentified flying object because its identity had not yet been established.[Alwihda Info]alwihdainfo.comOpen source on alwihdainfo.com.
This distinction is important. “Unidentified” accurately reflected the situation immediately after discovery. It did not imply that the object was extraterrestrial or beyond ordinary explanation.
How the radiosonde was identified
Following recovery, officials identified the device as a Graw radiosonde, a lightweight meteorological instrument designed to collect upper-atmosphere observations while suspended beneath a hydrogen-filled weather balloon. Chad’s branch of the Agency for Air Navigation Safety in Africa and Madagascar (ASECNA) publicly confirmed that the recovered equipment formed part of routine atmospheric observations and posed no danger to the public.[Alwihda Info]alwihdainfo.comAlwihda Info Tchad : l’ASECNA rassure sur l’innocuité du ballon météorologique tombé à ZagoboAlwihda Info Tchad : l’ASECNA rassure sur l’innocuité du ballon météorologique tombé à Zagobo
ASECNA explained that the equipment performs standard radiosonde measurements during ascent, including:
- Air temperature
- Atmospheric pressure
- Relative humidity
- Wind conditions
- Position data transmitted back to meteorological stations
When the balloon reaches very high altitude, it expands until it bursts. The instrument package then falls back to Earth, sometimes landing many kilometres from its launch location because strong upper-level winds carry it across long distances.[alwihdainfo.com]alwihdainfo.comAlwihda Info Tchad : l’ASECNA rassure sur l’innocuité du ballon météorologique tombé à ZagoboAlwihda Info Tchad : l’ASECNA rassure sur l’innocuité du ballon météorologique tombé à Zagobo
This sequence matches standard meteorological practice worldwide. International weather agencies launch thousands of radiosondes every day as part of the World Meteorological Organization’s upper-air observing network, which provides essential data for weather forecasting and climate monitoring.[wmo.int]wmo.intWorld Meteorological Organization Global Observing System (GOSWorld Meteorological Organization Global Observing System (GOS
Why the explanation matched the witnesses
One reason the Zagobo report attracted attention was that the eyewitness descriptions sounded dramatic. However, the identified equipment accounts for nearly every reported observation.
The red light was not inconsistent with a radiosonde. Weather-balloon payloads may include lights or reflective components that make them easier to locate or identify during flight or recovery. At night, an unfamiliar illuminated instrument descending under a balloon—or after balloon failure—can appear highly unusual to observers on the ground.[Alwihda Info]alwihdainfo.comAlwihda Info Tchad : l’ASECNA rassure sur l’innocuité du ballon météorologique tombé à ZagoboAlwihda Info Tchad : l’ASECNA rassure sur l’innocuité du ballon météorologique tombé à Zagobo
Likewise, the reported descent into fields fits the normal end of a radiosonde flight. A weather balloon ascends until decreasing atmospheric pressure causes it to rupture. The instrument package then returns to the surface, drifting with high-altitude winds before landing, often far from its launch site.[alwihdainfo.com]alwihdainfo.comAlwihda Info Tchad : l’ASECNA rassure sur l’innocuité du ballon météorologique tombé à ZagoboAlwihda Info Tchad : l’ASECNA rassure sur l’innocuité du ballon météorologique tombé à Zagobo
The object was also described as an unfamiliar technical device after recovery rather than as a conventional aircraft or meteorite. That observation became an important clue, since the recovered equipment matched commercially manufactured meteorological hardware rather than any unknown technology.[Alwihda Info]alwihdainfo.comAlwihda Info Tchad : l’ASECNA rassure sur l’innocuité du ballon météorologique tombé à ZagoboAlwihda Info Tchad : l’ASECNA rassure sur l’innocuité du ballon météorologique tombé à Zagobo
Why this case is unusually strong evidence
Most reported UFO incidents remain difficult to evaluate because investigators lack one or more key pieces of evidence:
- The object is never recovered.
- Images are poor or ambiguous.
- Witness accounts conflict.
- No official technical examination follows.
The Zagobo incident differs because all of the essential steps occurred. Authorities recovered the object, identified its manufacturer, explained its function and issued a public statement describing exactly why it had fallen.[Alwihda Info]alwihdainfo.comAlwihda Info Tchad : l’ASECNA rassure sur l’innocuité du ballon météorologique tombé à ZagoboAlwihda Info Tchad : l’ASECNA rassure sur l’innocuité du ballon météorologique tombé à Zagobo
From an evidence perspective, this transforms the case from an unexplained sighting into a resolved identification. The explanation is supported not only by witness testimony but also by the physical artefact itself.
What the case tells us about UFO reports in Chad
The Zagobo incident illustrates an important principle for evaluating unusual aerial reports in Chad and elsewhere: an unidentified observation at the moment it occurs is not necessarily an unexplained phenomenon after investigation.
For Chad, where publicly documented UFO investigations are exceptionally limited, Zagobo has become the country’s best-known modern case because it demonstrates a complete investigative chain:
- An unusual aerial object was reported.
- Authorities recovered the physical object.
- Specialists identified it as known meteorological equipment.
- The operating agency explained its purpose and why it landed where it did. Alwihda Info+2Alwihda Info
Rather than supporting claims of an unknown craft, the incident highlights the value of physical evidence and official follow-up. It also provides a useful point of comparison for other reported sightings in Chad that lack recovered material or verified technical examination.
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Endnotes
1.
Source: weather.gov
Title: National Weather Service Radiosonde Observation
Link:https://www.weather.gov/upperair/factsheet
2.
Source: aoml.noaa.gov
Title: AOMLUpper Air Observations: How Weather Balloons Improve Forecasts
Link:https://www.aoml.noaa.gov/upper-air-observations/
Source snippet
NOAA AOMLUpper Air Observations: How Weather Balloons Improve Forecasts - NOAA/AOML...
3.
Source: ncei.noaa.gov
Title: NCEIWeather Balloon | National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI)
Link:https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/products/weather-balloon
4.
Source: weather.gov
Title: National Weather Service Upper Air
Link:https://www.weather.gov/epz/upperair
5.
Source: weather.gov
Title: High Altitude Balloon released by NASA Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility
Link:https://www.weather.gov/abq/highaltitudeballoon2024
6.
Source: ncei.noaa.gov
Title: integrated global radiosonde archive
Link:https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/products/weather-balloon/integrated-global-radiosonde-archive
7.
Source: weather.gov
Link:https://www.weather.gov/upperair/Faq
8.
Source: weather.gov
Link:https://www.weather.gov/upperair/reqdahdr
9.
Source: prod-01-alb-www-noaa.woc.noaa.gov
Link:https://prod-01-alb-www-noaa.woc.noaa.gov/jetstream/upperair/radiosondes
10.
Source: ncei.noaa.gov
Title: integrated global radiosonde archive
Link:https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/index.php/products/weather-balloon/integrated-global-radiosonde-archive
12.
Source: alwihdainfo.com
Link:https://www.alwihdainfo.com/tchad-un-engin-spatial-non-identifie-s-ecrase-dans-un-champ-a-zagobo-a133645/
13.
Source: wmo.int
Title: World Meteorological Organization Global Observing System (GOS)
Link:https://wmo.int/activities/global-observing-system-gos/global-observing-system-gos
14.
Source: wmo.int
Title: How does the observing system work?
Link:https://wmo.int/site/world-meteorological-day-2026/how-does-observing-system-work
15.
Source: public.wmo.int
Title: int Chad publishes first CAP warning and begins international data sharing
Link:https://public.wmo.int/media/project-update/chad-publishes-first-cap-warning-and-begins-international-data-sharing
16.
Source: wmo.int
Title: The Global Observing System
Link:https://wmo.int/media/magazine-article/global-observing-system
Additional References
17.
Source: snrtnews.com
Link:https://snrtnews.com/fr/article/vague-de-chaleur-et-averses-orageuses-avec-rafales-de-vent-de-mercredi-a-samedi-dans
Source snippet
June 10, 2026 — VAGUE DE CHALEUR ET AVERSES ORAGEUSES AVEC RAFALES DE VENT, DE MERCREDI À SAMEDI, DANS PLUSIEURS PROVINCES 10/06/2026 - 1...
Published: June 10, 2026
18.
Source: medias24.com
Title: Alerte météo: vague de chaleur jusqu’à 46 °C et orages ce mercredi 1er juillet
Link:https://medias24.com/2026/07/01/alerte-meteo-vague-de-chaleur-jusqua-46-c-et-orages-ce-mercredi-1er-juillet-1713789/
Source snippet
Médias24 - Numéro un de l'information économique marocaineJuly 1, 2026 — ALERTE MÉTÉO: VAGUE DE CHALEUR JUSQU’À 46 °C ET ORAGES CE MERCR...
Published: July 1, 2026
19.
Source: timeanddate.com
Title: Past Weather in Zama, Chad — Yesterday or Further Back
Link:https://www.timeanddate.com/weather/%402424112/historic
Source snippet
Clear. (Weather station: Ndjamena, Chad). See more current weather Select month: [Select] PAST WEATHER IN ZAMA — GRAPH °F See Hour-by-hou...
20.
Source: youtube.com
Title: Weather Balloon: Windsonde and Graw test
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKw9maqt9-U
Source snippet
Graw radiosonde weather balloon Weather Balloons and Radiosondes CoCoRaHS HQ...
21.
Source: youtube.com
Title: Reverse Engineering Weather balloons with Arduino (Radiosondes)
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UC9JDQqAKds
Source snippet
Weather Balloon: Windsonde and Graw test...
22.
Source: researchgate.net
Link:https://www.researchgate.net/publication/229811115_The_Amma_Radiosonde_Program_and_its_Implications_for_the_Future_of_Atmospheric_Monitoring_Over_Africa
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Source: researchgate.net
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Source: timeanddate.com
Link:https://www.timeanddate.com/weather/%40241474/historic
26.
Source: un-soff.org
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