Political situation Elections mark the end of the political transition phase

    In the last few years, the political situation in Chad was quite unstable. After three years of political transition, the country is slowly returning to constitutional order.

    A woman casts her vote in the 2016 presidential election in Chad.

    A woman casts her vote in the 2016 presidential election in Chad.

    In April 2021, Chad’s President Idriss Déby Itno was fatally wounded in an attack by rebels. He had ruled the country since 1990. After Déby’s death, a transitional military council (Conseil militaire de transition, CMT) chaired by his son Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno took over the leadership of the country. The CMT dissolved parliament and adopted a transitional constitution. Initially, a phase of political transition of 18 months had been envisaged. A national dialogue led to an extension of the phase of transition by two more years in October 2022, the dissolution of the military council and Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno’s appointment as interim president for two more years.

    Following a referendum, a new constitution came into force in December 2023. In May 2024, presidential elections were held. Déby Itno was the official winner, having received 61 per cent of the votes. The opposition challenged the results because of alleged electoral fraud, among other things, but the claims were rejected.


    Substantial need for reform

    With regard to good governance, the rule of law and human rights, there is a substantial need for reform and action in Chad. Political opposition, media and civil society have only limited capacity to act. And corruption is widespread: on the Corruption Perceptions Index compiled by Transparency International, Chad ranked 162nd out of the 180 countries evaluated in 2023.

    Economic reforms and reforms in the education system and health sector are needed most for further poverty reduction.

    Security situation

    In the Lake Chad region in the west of the country, security has been under threat for years from radical Islamist terror groups such as Boko Haram and the “Islamic State”. Various groups known as “political-military” groups, from southern Libya and Sudan, are fighting for a change of power in the capital N'Djamena.

    There are also conflicts between ethnic groups and between settled arable farmers and nomadic pastoralists over land and water, and also conflicts over other resources.

    A generous response to refugees

    Despite the difficult socio-economic situation, Chad has taken in many refugees, especially from neighbouring Sudan. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), more than one million people from Sudan have sought refuge in Chad, including 700,000 people who have been displaced since the conflict broke out. Overall, about 1.25 million refugees are currently living in the country. In addition, there are more than 220,000 internally displaced persons in Chad (as at September 2024), mainly people who have been forced to flee conflict.

    Military activities

    Chad is actively involved in the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF), a task force established by the riparian countries of Lake Chad. Its mandate is to carry out anti-terror operations in the region. In the past few years, the country also participated in the military mission of the G5 Sahel (the G5 Sahel Joint Force) and was among the countries providing the largest number of troops for the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA).

    As at: 15/11/2024