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Due to resource constraints, IRIN is not updating the country profile below.
Updated humanitarian country information can be found instead at the Chad country page on ReliefWeb [http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/dbc.nsf/doc104?OpenForm&rc=1&cc=tcd].
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 CHAD
Humanitarian Country Profile |
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Background
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Last update: March 2008 |
Chad is bordered by Sudan, Libya, Cameroon, the Central African Republic (CAR), Niger and Nigeria. Its capital is N'djamena. Since achieving independence from France in 1960, Chad has experienced chronic instability and conflict, driven by long-standing tensions between so-called African and Arab ethnic groups, as well as between the mainly Muslim north and Christian/animist south and between Chad's neighbours, notably Libya and Sudan.
Northern dissatisfaction with the first president, François Tombalbaye, led to changes within the government, but by 1969 guerrilla factions backed by Libya had formed and Tombalbaye was assassinated. He was replaced by another southerner, Gen Felix Malloum, who could not bring peace to the divided country. In 1980, northerner Goukouni Ouekeni, backed by Libya, took over. He was opposed by the French-supported Hissene Habré. Power went back and forth, until the current president, Idriss Deby, toppled Habré in 1990.
Initially Deby brought a semblance of peace to the country, although his government has faced many insurgencies that have become increasingly threatening. Rebel groups, some made up of former members of the military and local government officials, including those from Deby's own ethnic group, the Zaghawa, have joined forces against him.
The country held its first presidential election in 1996, won by Deby. He has been re-elected twice since then, most recently in May 2006. Three weeks before the last elections, rebels launched an assault on the capital and opposition parties boycotted the vote, accusing the president of corruption. In another offensive in early February 2008 rebels occupied the capital for some days but were eventually routed.
A border conflict with Libya over the Aozou strip was resolved by the UN International Court of Justice in 1994, which ruled in favour of Chad. Conflict in Sudan has spilled over in the east of Chad where rebel forces continue to operate. The country became an important exporter of crude oil in 2003 but the general population is yet to reap economic benefits.
Peace and security
The recent civil war in Sudan's western Darfur region has aggravated instability in eastern Chad. The government has accused Sudan of arming and backing Chadian rebels, whereas Sudan accuses Chad of backing Darfur rebels. Both governments deny the accusations. In April 2006, rebel forces nearly made it to the capital in an effort to topple the president. Deby's forces pushed the rebels back to the east.
Attacks have intensified in the last few months, and in an offensive in early February 2008 rebels occupied the capital for a few days. The government has declared several states of emergency in most of the country and the violence is expected to worsen.
Inter-communal clashes have also frequently broken out in the east. These occur largely independently of the fighting between the rebels and government forces, although there are signs that the rebels and the government have exacerbated some community tensions.
Attacks against civilians in the neighbouring Central African Republic (CAR) have brought waves of refugees into southern Chad, creating instability in that region.
IDPs/Refugees
Chad has experienced an influx of refugees due to the conflict in the Darfur region of Sudan and because of growing insecurity along the southern border with the CAR. According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), there are more than 280,000 refugees in Chad, mostly from Sudan and some from the CAR. The UNHCR runs 12 refugee camps in eastern Chad for over 240,000 people. Some 13,000 new refugees have arrived from Darfur since early February.
Rebel activity and inter-communal fighting in the east has led to over 170,000 Chadians being internally displaced, according to UNHCR, including many who are living along the border with Darfur. The largest concentrations of internally displaced people live around the towns of Goz Beida and Kou Kou-Angarana in the south of eastern Chad.
In southern Chad there are over 50,000 refugees from Central African Republic with new ones coming every day according to UNHCR. It said in February that it had registered over 10,000 newly arrived refugees since December.
There are also over 50,000 refugees originating from Chad living in surrounding countries, mainly in Cameroon. Up to 30,000 more Chadians crossed into Cameroon to escape fighting in N'djamena in early February of 2008. They were camped on the border town of Kousseri. Some have since returned but UNHCR says it has moved over 5,000 others further inside Cameroon to a site near the town of Maltam.
Democracy and governance
Deby's ascension to power in a coup in 1990 had brought hope of political stability. Before Deby, the country had experienced a succession of partisan leaders who either represented the mostly Arab-Muslim north or the predominantly Christian and animist south, and were backed by opposing nations, mainly France and Libya.
The country officially elected Deby to power in 1996 in the country's first presidential election. The elections were seen as tainted as were the following elections in 2001. In 2005, Deby successfully held a controversial referendum to remove presidential term limits. He was re-elected for a third term in May 2006. Most local opposition parties boycotted the election.
Although Deby has retained power for 16 years, his time in office has been marked by several coup attempts and the repression of opposing political parties. His government is viewed as tenuous.
Media
The media in Chad are relatively constrained and the situation has continued to deteriorate as the country becomes increasingly unstable. Government policy limits private broadcasting by imposing high licensing fees and by closely monitoring broadcasters.
Radio is the most popular form of mass communication. Radiodiffusion Nationale Tchadienne is state-run and has several regional stations. There are around a dozen private radio stations, some of which are run by non-profit organisations. There is one TV station in the country, which is also state-owned. State control of broadcast media restricts dissenting views.
Print media receives slightly less scrutiny and several private newspapers operate in the capital. These rarely reach the rural areas, where much of the population is illiterate.
Reporters Without Borders has registered the frequent detention and harassment of journalists in the country.
The government has announced various states of emergency that include tightening media censorship.
Economy
Chad's economy is mainly agricultural and 80 percent of its population is engaged in subsistence farming and in raising livestock. Its main exports include cotton, cattle and gum arabic.
But foreign investment is concentrated in the oil sector. In 2003 a US consortium began to export oil from the Doba oilfields in the south through a pipeline that runs across Cameroon. In 2004, the country received its first oil royalties. The nation's total oil reserves have been estimated at two billion barrels.
Instability and corruption continue to deter foreign investment and the country relies heavily on foreign aid. Chad is landlocked which is another obstacle to economic development.
Population
Chad has a population of 9.9 million people and a growth rate of almost 3 percent. On average, women have 6.3 children and the life expectancy according to the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) is 43 years.
There are more than 200 distinct ethnic groups in the country. The north is mainly Muslim and includes Arab, Gorane, Zahawa, Kanembou, Ouaddai, Baguirmi, Hadjerai, Fulbe, Kotoko, Hausa, Boulala and Maha peoples. The south is 35 percent Christian and 7 percent animist and includes the Sara, Moundang, Moussei and Massa groupings.
Development indicators
According to the UNFPA, 64 percent of the population lives below the poverty line. The country has a high maternal mortality rate, with 1,100 women dying out of 100,000. Only 16 percent of births are assisted by a skilled attendant.
According to the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the infant mortality rate is 117 per every 1,000 live births. Nearly half the population is illiterate, and the combined gross enrolment ratio for primary, secondary and tertiary schools is 38 percent. The population has limited access to clean water. Only 40 percent have access in urban areas and 32 percent in rural areas.
The country is ranked 171 out of 177 countries on the UNDP Human Development Index.
Education
Schools use French and Arabic. In principle, education is compulsory and free from five to 12; however, Chad does not have enough schools or qualified teachers. Parents also complain that they must pay tuition fees and nearly half the teachers hired are paid by parent-teacher associations, and get no government salaries.
Gross primary school enrolment rates are high for boys at 95 percent, according to the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) but only 61 percent for girls. Enrolment rates drop drastically at the secondary level - only 22 percent of boys and 8 percent of girls are enrolled.
Girls are often kept at home to help with household tasks and are subjected to early marriage.
The government has provided some funds for education but human rights organisations have sought to bring attention to children who attend Islamic schools and are reportedly sent out to beg for food and money. There are no figures on the extent of this problem.
Children
One in five Chadian children will die before the age of five, and nearly half of children are not immunised against major vaccine-preventable diseases. Malnutrition is also a factor, and 30 percent of children are stunted. Primary education remains out of reach for many girls.
The plight of children in Chad has worsened with the influx of refugees into the country. According to UNICEF, 60 percent of refugees in Chad are children, which is contributing factor in the high infant and under-five mortality rates.
Health
Health issues include acute respiratory infections, malaria, and diarrhoeal diseases. Only 23 percent of children are immunised against measles, 39 percent against polio, and 40 percent against tuberculosis.
Access to safe-drinking water also poses a serious threat. Only 42 percent of the population has access to safe-drinking water, and only 8 percent of the population has access to adequate sanitation facilities.
UNDP estimates that there are four doctors for every 100,000 people. The government of Chad spends 6.5 percent of its gross domestic product on health, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) .
HIV/AIDS
The prevalence rate of HIV/AIDS among adults aged 15-49 is 4.8 percent, according to UNDP. Sentinel surveillance among women attending ante-natal clinics between 1999 and 2002 registered a rise in the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in the country.
Because Chad is in a conflict situation and there has been an influx of refugees and internally displaced people, the population is particularly vulnerable to the spread of HIV/AIDS. Women and girls also remain vulnerable due to their low socio-economic status.
The UN Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS UNAIDS stated that the current national response to HIV/AIDS is insufficient to reverse current HIV trends. Although a strategic plan was drafted for 2006-2008, its implementation remains uncertain due to lack of funding.
According to UNICEF, there are 96,000 AIDS orphans in Chad and UNAIDS estimates that 16,000 children younger than 14 are living with the syndrome.
Food security
Due to the dependence of 80 percent of the population on subsistence farming and herding, food security is highly vulnerable to environmental conditions, particularly in the Sahel region. Cereal production is affected by erratic rains, drought and potential locust infestations.
According to the World Food Programme (WFP), poor farming practices and limited access to food contribute to malnutrition. UNICEF says 9 percent of children below the age of five suffer from serious malnutrition, 11 percent from serious to moderate emaciation and 30 percent are stunted.
The presence of refugees has exacerbated the demands on the country's food supplies and they rely heavily on external assistance to ensure food security.
Gender issues
Chad has one of the highest rates of under-age marriage in the world. More than 70 percent of girls aged 20-24 are married by the age of 18.
Women have a low socio-economic status due to a lack of educational opportunities. According to UNICEF, only 7 percent of girls were enrolled in secondary school and 17 percent are literate.
Domestic violence is prohibited by law. However, spousal abuse is common. Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) is also prohibited but according to a 2004 government report by the National Institute of Statistics, Economic and Demographic Studies, 45 percent of local women had undergone FGM/C.
UNFPA figures showed that 5.8 percent of women held seats in parliament. In rural areas, women tend to be confined to traditional roles and perform most agricultural labour.
Human rights
The worsening situation in the eastern part of the country near the Sudan border has undermined the human rights of many Chadians and is creating a population of internally displaced people.
The government's human rights record is poor. According to the US State Department, security forces frequently act independently of government controls, committing extrajudicial killings, torture, beatings and rape without any legal repercussions.
There is also a lack of judicial effectiveness, with lengthy pre- and post-trial detention periods, and arbitrary arrests.
There are limits on freedom of speech and the press, and journalists are subject to harassment.
Redresses of human rights abuses included the creation of a new ministerial human rights post, the release of 500 prisoners awaiting trial and the removal of 60 members of the former Directorate of Documentation and Security who were named in a Human Rights Watch report as having committed human rights abuses.
Former president Hissene Habré is awaiting trial in Senegal for crimes against humanity allegedly committed during his eight-year regime.
Humanitarian needs
Chad's humanitarian needs are caused by food insecurity, malnutrition and poverty but the most pressing cause is increased instability of the country, and the spillover of conflicts from the CAR and Darfur.
In the first half of 2006, 50,000 Chadians were displaced internally, and since June 2005, 18,000 new refugees have arrived from the CAR. The increasing numbers of refugees and internally displaced people is straining Chad's already scarce resources. |
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| Chad in figures | · Population: 9.448 million
· Pop. growth rate: 2.8%
· GDP per capita: $2,090
· Pop. below poverty line: 64%
· Life expectancy: 43 years
· Infant mortality: 117 deaths/1,000 live births
· Access to med. services: NA
· HIV prevalence: 4.8%
· Access to clean water: (urban 40%, rural 32%)
· Access to electricity: (urban 9%, rural 0%)
· Literacy rate: (men 56%), (women 39.3%)
· Doctors/people: 0.04/1000
· Displaced people: 115,000
· Refugees: 280,000
· Human Development Index: 0.368
Sources: UNDP, UNFPA, World Bank |
| Basic facts | Capital: N'Djamena
Language: French (official), Arabic (official), Fula, Sara (in south), more than 120 different languages and dialects
Ethnic Groups: The Sara (25%); other groups include the Kebbi, Kanem-Bornu, Tangale, Fulani, Gorane and Arabs
Religions: Muslim 54%, Christian 35%, animist 7%, other 4%
Geography: Landlocked; Lake Chad is the most significant water body in the Sahel. Broad, arid plains in centre, desert in north, mountains in northwest, lowlands in south
Border countries: Cameroon, Central African Republic, Libya, Niger, Nigeria, Sudan
Natural resources: Oil, uranium, tungsten, cassiterite, bauxite, and gold are thought to exist in the north, fish
Agriculture products: Cotton, manioc, millet, peanuts, rice, sweet potatoes, sugarcane, cattle, sheep, goats
Source: Encyclopedia Britannica
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