Country Information

The population of Chad is 9.8 million. Chad has 200 distinct groups. In the north and center are Arabs --- Gorane, Zaghawa, Kanembou, and Ouaddai --- most of whom are Muslim. In the south are the Moundang, Moussei, and Massa, most of whom are Christian and animist. The population is 51% Muslim, 35% Christian, and 14% indigenous practice and other animist beliefs. French and Arabic are the official languages; however, more than 120 indigenous Chadian languages and dialects are spoken.

Political and Economic Environment
Chad was a colony of France until 1960. The country endured three decades of ethnic warfare as well as invasions by Libya before a semblance of peace was finally restored in 1990. In 1990, General Idriss Deby succeeded in capturing state power. The government eventually settled a territorial dispute with Libya on terms favorable to Chad, drafted a democratic constitution, and held multiparty presidential and National Assembly elections in 1996 and 1997 respectively. In 1998, a new rebellion broke out in northern Chad, which continued to escalate throughout 2000. A peace agreement, signed in January 2002 between the government and the rebels, provided for the demobilization of the rebels and their reintegration into the political system. Similarly, parliamentary elections were held in April 2002, with President Deby's MPS party winning a large majority.

Despite movement toward democratic reform, power remains in the hands of a northern ethnic oligarchy. Deby’s rule is presently being challenged by rebel groups receiving Sudanese support. New Presidential elections are scheduled to take place in 2006.

The political turmoil has had a negative impact on the economic development of Chad. Its landlocked status is another handicap, which increases the cost of importing goods. More than 80% of Chad's population relies on subsistence farming and stock raising for its livelihood. Chad's primarily agricultural economy will continue to be boosted by major foreign direct investment projects in the oil sector that began in 2000. International donors and loan guarantors, including the World Bank, are threatening to withdraw funding from the oil sector, however, as Chad as reneged on a carefully negotiated agreement to invest its oil revenue in improving social services.

Eastern Chad is the poorest region in one of the least developed counties in the world. People living in eastern Chad face chronic food insecurity, lack of water, and an almost total lack of government presence. The large influx of Sudanese refugees in eastern Chad has greatly aggravated their already bleak conditions. The situation has worsened in the past year due to lack of rainfall and poor harvests, and locals have no seeds for the upcoming planting season.

Humanitarian Situation
The civil war in Sudan's Darfur region continues to spill over across Chad's eastern border, creating tensions between the two countries. Since 2003, Janjawid armed militia and the Sudanese military have driven about 200,000 refugees from Darfur region, mainly women and children into eastern Chad. They are completely dependent on international support for food, medicine and other basic supplies.

Chad remains an important mediator in the Sudanese civil conflict. Though, tensions have been on the rise in eastern Chad lately after a wave of defections from the army, a rebel attack on the town of Adre and accusations by President Idriss Deby that neighboring Sudan is backing an insurgency. To make it worse, the Sudanese militia is making incursions into Chad, stealing cattle, killing innocent people and burning villages on the Chadian border.

Central African Republic (CAR) armed groups have prompted the flight of thousands of Central Africans into neighboring Chad. An estimated 43,000 refugees from Central African Republic reside in Chad. Most refugees are women and children who are fleeing insecurity in northern CAR. They experience repeated attacks by various armed groups, summary executions, house burnings, and violent search operations conducted by the CAR military in their villages.

Updated: February 2006