Republic of Chad
Chad, 1960 to today. Draft, not yet reviewed
Chad, officially the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country in Central 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. After Déby was killed by FACT rebels in April 2021, the Transitional Military Council led by his son Mahamat Déby assumed control of the government and dissolved the Assembly.
Seat of power: N'Djamena
Rulers
François Tombalbaye
President of Chad, 1960–1975
He was the first President of Chad from the country's independence in 1960 until his overthrow in 1975. In 1962, he declared the PPT the sole legal party. In 1965, tax riots erupted into a civil war between his government and northern FROLINAT rebels.
Portrait of François Tombalbaye: Moshe Pridan, Public domain, file
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Goukouni Oueddei
President of Chad, 1979–1982
He served as the fourth president of Chad from 1979 until he was deposed in a coup in 1982. He became president of the new transitional coalition government by the terms of the Lagos Accord, with Hissène Habré as defense minister.
Lol Mahamat Choua
President of Chad, 1979–1979
He served as head of state of his country for four months in 1979. Under Nigerian pressure, he was made head of the Transitional Government of National Unity on 29 April 1979.
Hissène Habré
President of Chad, 1982–1990
He served as the fifth president of Chad from 1982 until he was deposed in 1990. Forces of Habré overthrew Oueddei in 1982. He led the country during the Libyan-Chadian conflict, culminating in victory during the Toyota War from 1986 to 1987 with French support.
Portrait of Hissène Habré: EC - Audiovisual Service, CC BY 4.0, file
Idriss Déby
President of Chad, 1990–2021
He was the sixth president of Chad until his death in 2021 during the Northern Chad offensive. He took power by leading a coup d'état against Habré in December 1990 and was immediately proclaimed transitional president. He introduced a multi-party system in 1992 after several decades of one-party rule under his predecessors.
Portrait of Idriss Déby: Office of the White House (Amanda Lucidon), Public domain, file
Mahamat Déby
President of Chad, 2021 to today
He has led Chad under various titles since 2021, and since 2024 he has served as the seventh president of Chad. He is the son of Idriss Déby, who served as the sixth president of Chad from 1990 to 2021. In April 2021, his father Idriss Déby was killed by the Front for Change and Concord in Chad, and Mahamat was immediately proclaimed the new leader of Chad as president of the Transitional Military Council.
Portrait of Mahamat Déby: United States Department of State Africa U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit: Photos and Videos, Public domain, file
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Culture
- With over 200 ethnic and linguistic groups, the official languages are French and Arabic, with French being the lingua franca and language of government and education.
- Islam (55.1%) and Christianity (41.1%) are the main practiced religions.
- Since 2003 crude oil has become the country's primary source of export earnings.
- From 2003, the Darfur crisis in Sudan spilled over the border and destabilised the nation. Already poor, the nation struggled to accommodate over a million Sudanese refugees in eastern Chad.
Picture
N'Djamena is the capital and largest city of Chad.
Image: Kayhan ERTUGRUL, CC BY-SA 3.0, file
Sources
Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.