Chad: Introduction

This introductory report provides an overview of the Republic of Chad, detailing its geography, political history from independence in 1960 to the 2024 presidency of Mahamat Idriss Déby, and its socioeconomic challenges despite possessing gold, uranium, and oil resources.

• Chad is a landlocked country in Africa, the sixth-largest by land area at approximately 1,284,000 km², bordering Libya, Sudan, Central African Republic (CAR), Cameroon, Nigeria, and Niger. It is a member of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) and the Community of Sahel-Saharan States (CEN-SAD).
• Environmental pressures, including shifting climates, land degradation, and drought cycles, have driven herders southwards. This migration has caused farmer-herder conflicts in southern Chad and neighbouring Nigeria, with the latter seeing such conflicts surpass Boko Haram in terms of fatalities.
• Chad's political history has been characterized by instability, including a 1965 tax revolt and the 30-year rule of Idriss Déby Itno, who took power in 1990. Following Déby's death in April 2021, his son Mahamat seized power via the Transitional Military Council. After a transition period and a disputed constitutional referendum on December 17, 2023, Mahamat Idriss Déby won the presidency in May 2024 with 61% of the vote, though observers called the election 'highly stage-managed'.
• Despite having oil production since 2003 and reserves of uranium and gold, Chad remains one of the world's poorest nations. It ranked 189th out of 193 nations on the 2023/2024 Human Development Index (HDI) and 165th out of 167 on the 2024 SDG Index, with growth hindered by corruption, weak institutions, and low standards of education and life expectancy.

APA

Yeboua, K., & Chipanda, B. (2026). Chad: Introduction. Institute for Security Studies. https://futures.issafrica.org/geographic/guide.pdf?geography=TD&topic=01-introduction

Chicago

Yeboua, Kouassi, and Blessing Chipanda. Chad: Introduction. Institute for Security Studies, 2026. https://futures.issafrica.org/geographic/guide.pdf?geography=TD&topic=01-introduction.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Yeboua |first1=Kouassi |last2=Chipanda |first2=Blessing |title=Chad: Introduction |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=31 May 2026 |url=https://futures.issafrica.org/geographic/guide.pdf?geography=TD&topic=01-introduction |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{yeboua2026chad, author = {Yeboua, Kouassi and Chipanda, Blessing}, title = {{Chad: Introduction}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2026}, month = may, url = {https://futures.issafrica.org/geographic/guide.pdf?geography=TD&topic=01-introduction}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }