Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country in north-central
Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central
African Republic to the south, Cameroon to the south-west, Nigeria to the
southwest (at Lake Chad), and Niger to the west.
Chad has several regions: a desert zone in the north, an
arid Sahelian belt in the center and a more fertile Sudanian Savanna zone in
the south.
Lake Chad, after which the country is named, is the largest
wetland in Chad and the second-largest in Africa. The capital N'Djamena is the
largest city. Chad's official languages are Arabic and French. Chad is home to
over 200 different ethnic and linguistic groups. The most popular religion of
Chad is Islam (at 55%), followed by Christianity (at 40%).
Beginning in the 7th millennium BC, human populations moved
into the Chadian basin in great numbers. By the end of the 1st millennium AD, a
series of states and empires had risen and fallen in Chad's Sahelian strip,
each focused on controlling the trans-Saharan trade routes that passed through
the region.
France conquered the territory by 1920 and incorporated it
as part of French Equatorial Africa. In 1960, Chad obtained independence under
the leadership of François Tombalbaye. Resentment towards his policies in the
Muslim north culminated in the eruption of a long-lasting civil war in 1965. In
1979 the rebels conquered the capital and put an end to the South's hegemony.
But, the rebel commanders fought amongst themselves until Hissène Habré
defeated his rivals. Chadian–Libyan conflict erupted in 1978 by the Libyan
invasion which stopped in 1987 with a French military intervention (Operation
Épervier). Hissène Habré was toppled in turn in 1990 by his general Idriss
Déby, a modernization of the Chadian armed forces was initiated in 1991 by
president Deby.
.
While many political parties are active, democratic power
lies in the hands of President Déby and his elected political party, the
Patriotic Salvation Movement
History
In the 7th millennium BCE, ecological conditions in the
northern half of Chadian territory favored human settlement, and the region
experienced a strong population increase. Some of the most important African
archaeological sites are found in Chad, mainly in the Borkou-Ennedi-Tibesti
Region; some date to earlier than 2000 BCE.[8][9]
For more than 2,000 years, the Chadian Basin has been
inhabited by agricultural and sedentary people.
 |
| Group of Kanem-Bu warriors. The Kanem-Bornu Empire controlled almost all of what is today Chad |
The region became a crossroads of civilizations. The
earliest of these were the legendary Kanem Empire] first and longest-lasting of the empires
that developed in Chad's Sahelian strip by the end of the 1st millennium AD.
Two other states in the region, Sultanate of Bagirmi and Wadai Empire emerged
in the 16th and 17th centuries.
The power of Kanem and its successors was based on control
of the trans-Saharan trade routes that passed through the region.These states,
at least tacitly Muslim, never extended their control to the southern
grasslands except to raid for slaves ] In Kanem, about a third of the
population were slaves.
French colonial expansion led to the creation of the
Territoire Militaire des Pays et Protectorats du Tchad in 1900. By 1920, France
had secured full control of the colony and incorporated it as part of French
Equatorial Africa. French rule in Chad was characterized by an absence of
policies to unify the territory and sluggish modernization compared to other
French colonies.
 |
| A Chadian soldier fighting for Free France during World War II. The Free French Forces included 15,000 soldiers from Chad.[ |
The French primarily viewed the colony as an unimportant
source of untrained labour and raw cotton; France introduced large-scale cotton
production in 1929. The colonial administration in Chad was critically
understaffed and had to rely on the dregs of the French civil service. Only the
Sara of the south was governed effectively; French presence in the Islamic
north and east was nominal. The educational system was affected by this
neglect.[9][16]
After World War II, France granted Chad the status of
overseas territory and its inhabitants the right to elect representatives to
the National Assembly and a Chadian assembly. The largest political party was
the Chadian Progressive Party (French: Parti Progressiste Tchadien, PPT), based
in the southern half of the colony. Chad was granted independence on 11 August
1960 with the PPT's leader, François Tombalbaye, an ethnic Sara, as its first
president.
Two years later, Tombalbaye banned opposition parties and
established a one-party system. Tombalbaye's autocratic rule and insensitive
mismanagement exacerbated inter-ethnic tensions.
In 1965, Muslims in the north, led by the National
Liberation Front of Chad (French: Front de libération nationale du Tchad,
FRONILAT), began a civil war. Tombalbaye was overthrown and killed in 1975,[19]
but the insurgency continued. In 1979 the rebel factions led by Hissène Habré
took the capital, and all central authority in the country collapsed. Armed
factions, many from the north's rebellion, contended for power.[20][21]
The disintegration of Chad caused the collapse of France's
position in the country. Libya moved to fill the power vacuum and became
involved in Chad's civil war Libya's adventure ended in disaster in 1987; the
French-supported president, Hissène Habré, evoked a united response from
Chadians of a kind never seen before[
and forced the Libyan army off Chadian soil..
Habré consolidated his dictatorship through a power system
that relied on corruption and violence with thousands of people estimated to
have been killed under his rule. The
president favoured his own Toubou ethnic group and discriminated against his
former allies, the Zaghawa. His general, Idriss Déby, overthrew him in
1990.[27] Attempts to prosecute Habré led to his placement under house arrest
in Senegal in 2005; in 2013, Habré was formally charged with war crimes
committed during his rule. In May 2016, he was found guilty of human-rights
abuses, including rape, sexual slavery, and ordering the killing of 40,000 people,
and sentenced to life in prison.
PRESIDENT DEBY’S RECONCILLATION INITIATIVE
Déby attempted to reconcile the rebel groups and
successfully reintroduced multiparty politics. Chadians approved a new
constitution by referendum, and in 1996, Déby easily won a competitive
presidential election. He won a second term five years later. In 2006 Déby won a third mandate in
elections.
CHAD, A LEADING PARTNER FOR THE FIGHT AGAINST TERRORISM
Chad is currently one of the leading partners in a West
African coalition in the fight against Boko Haram. Chad, particularly, its
leader, president Iddriss Derby has earned the reputation for the fight against
terrorism in the region.
Geography, climate and environment
At 1,284,000 square kilometres (496,000 sq mi),[2] Chad is
the world's 20th-largest country. It is slightly smaller than Peru and slightly
larger than South Africa. Chad is in north central Africa, lying between
latitudes 7° and 24°N, and 13° and 24°E.[
Chad is bounded to the north by Libya, to the east by Sudan,
to the west by Niger, Nigeria and Cameroon, and to the south by the Central
African Republic.
The country's capital is 1,060 kilometres (660 mi) from the
nearest seaport, Douala, Cameroon.[39][40] Because of this distance from the
sea and the country's largely desert climate, Chad is sometimes referred to as
the "Dead Heart of Africa".[41]
The dominant physical structure is a wide basin bounded to
the north and east by the Ennedi Plateau and Tibesti Mountains, which include
Emi Koussi, a dormant volcano that reaches 3,414 metres (11,201 ft) above sea
level. Lake Chad, after which the country is named (and which in turn takes its
name from the Kanuri word for "lakeis the remains of an immense lake that
occupied 330,000 square kilometres (130,000 sq mi) of the Chad Basin 7,000
years ago.
Although in the 21st
century it covers only 17,806 square kilometres (6,875 sq mi), and its surface
area is subject to heavy seasonal fluctuations, the lake is Africa's second
largest wetland.
The region's tall grasses and extensive marshes make it
favorable for birds, reptiles, and large mammals. Chad's major rivers—the
Chari, Logone and their tributaries—flow through the southern savannas from the
southeast into Lake Chad.
Climate
Each year a tropical weather system known as the
intertropical front crosses Chad from south to north, bringing a wet season
that lasts from May to October in the south, and from June to September in the
Sahel Variations in local rainfall create three major geographical zones. The
Sahara lies in the country's northern third. Yearly precipitations throughout
this belt are under 50 millimetres (2.0 in); only the occasional spontaneous
palm grove survives, and the only ones to do so are south of the Tropic of
Cancer.[40]
The Sahara gives way to a Sahelian belt in Chad's centre;
precipitation there varies from 300 to 600 mm (11.8 to 23.6 in) per year. In
the Sahel, a steppe of thorny bushes (mostly acacias) gradually gives way to
the south to East Sudanian savanna in Chad's Sudanese zone. Yearly rainfall in
this belt is over 900 mm (35.4 in).[40]
Wildlife
Chad's animal and plant life correspond to the three
climatic zones. In the Saharan region, the only flora is the date-palm groves
of the oasis. Palms and acacia trees grow in the Sahelian region.
The southern, or Sudanic, zone consists of broad grasslands
or prairies suitable for grazing. As of 2002, there were at least 134 species
of mammals, 509 species of birds (354 species of residents and 155 migrants),
and over 1,600 species of plants throughout the country.
Elephants, lions, buffalo, hippopotamuses, rhinoceroses,
giraffes, antelopes, leopards, cheetahs, hyenas, and many species of snakes are
found in Chad.
Efforts have been made by the Food and Agriculture
Organization to improve relations between farmers, agro-pastoralists and
pastoralists in the Zakouma National Park (ZNP), Siniaka-Minia, and Aouk
reserve in southeastern Chad to promote sustainable development.[52] As part of
the national conservation effort, more than 1.2 million trees have been
replanted to check the advancement of the desert, which incidentally also helps
the local economy by way of financial return from acacia trees, which produce
gum arabic, and also from fruit trees.
Demographics
Chad's national statistical agency projected the country's
2015 population between 13,630,252 and 13,679,203, with 13,670,084 as its
medium projection; based on the medium projection, 3,212,470 people lived in
urban areas and 10,457,614 people lived in rural areas.[3] The country's
population is young: an estimated 47.3% is under 15. The birth rate is
estimated at 42.35 births per 1,000 people, the mortality rate at 16.69. The
life expectancy is 52 years .
Chad's population is unevenly distributed. Density is
0.1/km2 (0.26/sq mi) in the Saharan Borkou-Ennedi-Tibesti Region but 52.4/km2
(136/sq mi) in the Logone Occidental Region. In the capital, it is even higher.
About half of the nation's population lives in the southern fifth of its
territory.
Urban life is concentrated in the capital, whose population
is mostly engaged in commerce. The other major towns are Sarh, Moundou, Abéché
and Doba, which are considerably smaller but growing rapidly in population and
economic activity. Since 2003, 230,000 Sudanese refugees have fled to eastern
Chad from war-ridden Darfur. With the 172,600 Chadians displaced by the civil
war in the east, this has generated increased tensions among the region's
communities.
Polygamy is common, with 39% of women living in such unions.
This is sanctioned by law, which automatically permits polygamy unless spouses
specify that this is unacceptable upon marriage Although violence against women
is prohibited, domestic violence is common. Female genital mutilation is also
prohibited, but the practice is widespread and deeply rooted in tradition; 45%
of Chadian women undergo the procedure, with the highest rates among Arabs,
Hadjarai, and Ouaddaians (90% or more). Lower percentages were reported among
the Sara (38%) and the Toubou (2%). Women lack equal opportunities in education
and training, making it difficult for them to compete for the relatively few
formal-sector jobs. Although property and inheritance laws based on the French
code do not discriminate against women, local leaders adjudicate most
inheritance cases in favour of men, according to traditional practice.
Ethnic groups
The peoples of Chad carry significant ancestry from Eastern,
Central, Western, and Northern Africa.
Chad has more than 200 distinct ethnic groups, which create
diverse social structures. The colonial administration and independent
governments have attempted to impose a national society, but for most Chadians
the local or regional society remains the most important influence outside the
immediate family. Nevertheless, Chad's people may be classified according to
the geographical region in which they live.
In the south live sedentary people such as the Sara, the
nation's main ethnic group, whose essential social unit is the lineage. In the
Sahel sedentary peoples live side-by-side with nomadic ones, such as the Arabs,
the country's second major ethnic group. The north is inhabited by nomads,
mostly Toubous.
Languages
Chad's official languages are Arabic and French, but over
100 languages and dialects are spoken. Due to the important role played by
itinerant Arab traders and settled merchants in local communities, Chadian
Arabic has become a lingua franca.[9]
Religion
Chad is a religiously diverse country. Estimates from Pew
Research Center in 2010 found that 55.7% of the population was Muslim, while
22.5% was Catholic and a further 17.6% was Protestant.[65][66] Among Muslims,
48% professed to be Sunni, 21% Shia, 4% Ahmadi and 23% just Muslim.[67] A small
proportion of the population continues to practice indigenous religions.
Animism includes a variety of ancestor and place-oriented religions whose
expression is highly specific. Islam is expressed in diverse ways; for example,
55% of Muslim Chadians belong to Sufi orders.[67] Christianity arrived in Chad
with the French and American missionaries; as with Chadian Islam, it
syncretises aspects of pre-Christian religious beliefs.[9] Muslims are largely
concentrated in northern and eastern Chad, and animists and Christians live
primarily in southern Chad and Guéra .The constitution provides for a secular
state and guarantees religious freedom; different religious communities
generally co-exist without problems.[68]
The majority of Muslims in the country are adherents of a
moderate branch of mystical Islam (Sufism). Its most common expression is the
Tijaniyah, an order followed by the 35% of Chadian Muslims which incorporates
some local African religious elements. A small minority of the country's
Muslims hold more fundamentalist practices, which, in some cases, may be
associated with Saudi-oriented Salafi movements.
Roman Catholics represent the largest Christian denomination
in the country. Most Protestants, including the Nigeria-based "Winners'
Chapel", are affiliated with various evangelical Christian groups. Members
of the Bahá'à and Jehovah's Witnesses religious communities also are present in
the country. Both faiths were introduced after independence in 1960 and
therefore are considered to be "new" religions in the country.
Chad is home to foreign missionaries representing both
Christian and Islamic groups. Itinerant Muslim preachers, primarily from Sudan,
Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan, also visit. Saudi Arabian funding generally
supports social and educational projects and extensive mosque construction.
Government and politics
Chad's constitution provides for a strong executive branch
headed by a president who dominates the political system. The president has the
power to appoint the prime minister and the cabinet, and exercises considerable
influence over appointments of judges, generals, provincial officials and heads
of Chad's para-statal firms. In cases of grave and immediate threat, the
president, in consultation with the National Assembly, may declare a state of emergency.
The president is directly elected by popular vote for a five-year term; in 2005
constitutional term limits were removed, allowing a president to remain in
power beyond the previous two-term limit.
Most of Déby's key
advisers are members of the ruling political parties .Southern and opposition
personalities are represented in his
government.
Chad's legal system is based on French civil law and Chadian
customary law where the latter does not interfere with public order or
constitutional guarantees of equality.
Despite the constitution's guarantee of judicial
independence, the president names most
judicial officials in consultation with the judicial council . The legal
system's highest jurisdictions, the Supreme Court and the Constitutional Council,
have become fully operational since 2000.
The Supreme Court is made up of a chief justice, named by
the president, and 15 councillors, appointed for life by the president and the
National Assembly. The Constitutional Court is headed by nine judges elected to
nine-year terms. It has the power to review legislation, treaties and
international agreements prior to their adoption.
The National Assembly makes legislation. The body consists
of 155 members elected for four-year terms who meet three times per year. The
Assembly holds regular sessions twice a year, starting in March and October,
and can hold special sessions when called by the prime minister. Deputies elect
a National Assembly president every two years. The president must sign or
reject newly passed laws within 15 days. The National Assembly must approve the
prime minister's plan of government and may force the prime minister to resign
through a majority vote of no confidence
Since the legalisation of opposition parties in 1992, there
has been registration of 78 registered
political parties and have become
active.
Culture
Because of its great variety of peoples and languages, Chad
possesses a rich cultural heritage. The Chadian government has actively
promoted Chadian culture and national traditions by opening the Chad National
Museum and the Chad Cultural Centre.
Six national holidays are observed throughout the year, and
movable holidays include the Christian holiday of Easter Monday and the Muslim
holidays of Eid ul-Fitr, Eid ul-Adha, and Eid Milad Nnabi.
The music of Chad includes a number of instruments such as
the kinde, a type of bow harp; the kakaki, a long tin horn; and the hu hu, a
stringed instrument that uses calabashes as loudspeakers. Other instruments and
their combinations are more linked to specific ethnic groups: the Sara prefer
whistles, balafones, harps and kodjo drums; and the Kanembu combine the sounds of
drums with those of flute-like instruments.[128]
Millet is the staple food of Chadian cuisine. It is used to
make balls of paste that are dipped in sauces. In the north this dish is known
as alysh; in the south, as biya. Fish is popular, which is generally prepared
and sold either as salanga (sun-dried and lightly smoked Alestes and
Hydrocynus) or as banda (smoked large fish). Carcaje is a popular sweet red tea
extracted from hibiscus leaves. Alcoholic beverages, though absent in the
north, are popular in the south, where people drink millet beer, known as
billi-billi when brewed from red millet, and as coshate when from white
millet.]
The music group Chari Jazz formed in 1964 and initiated
Chad's modern music scene. Later, more renowned groups such as African Melody
and International Challal attempted to mix modernity and tradition. Popular
groups such as Tibesti have clung faster to their heritage by drawing on sai, a
traditional style of music from southern Chad. The people of Chad have
customarily disdained modern music. However, in 1995 greater interest has
developed and fostered the distribution of CDs and audio cassettes featuring
Chadian artists. Piracy and a lack of legal protections for artists' rights
remain problems to further development of the Chadian music industry.
As in other Sahelian countries, literature in Chad has seen
an economic, political and spiritual drought that has affected its best known
writers. Chadian authors have been forced to write from exile or expatriate
status and have generated literature dominated by themes of political
oppression and historical discourse. Since 1962, 20 Chadian authors have
written some 60 works of fiction. Among the most internationally renowned
writers are Joseph Brahim Seïd, Baba Moustapha, Antoine Bangui and Koulsy
Lamko. In 2003 Chad's sole literary critic, Ahmat Taboye, published his
Anthologie de la littérature tchadienne to further knowledge of Chad's
literature internationally and among youth and to make up for Chad's lack of
publishing houses and promotional structure.
The development of a Chadian film industry, which began with
the short films of Edouard Sailly in the 1960s, was hampered by the
devastations of civil wars and from the lack of cinemas, of which there is
currently only one in the whole country (the Normandie in N'Djamena).
The Chadian feature
film industry began growing again in the 1990s, with the work of directors
Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, Issa Serge Coelo and Abakar Chene Massar Haroun's film
Abouna was critically acclaimed, and his Daratt won the Grand Special Jury
Prize at the 63rd Venice International Film Festival. The 2010 feature film A
Screaming Man won the Jury Prize at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival, making
Haroun the first Chadian director to enter, as well as win, an award in the
main Cannes competition.] Issa Serge Coelo directed the films, Daresalam and
DP75: Tartina City.
Football is Chad's most popular sport The country's national
team is closely followed during international competitions and Chadian
footballers have played for French teams. Basketball and freestyle wrestling
are widely practiced, the latter in a form in which the wrestlers put on
traditional animal hides and cover themselves with dust.[12
