FOREIGN
RELATIONS
Chad is
officially nonaligned but has close relations with France, the
former colonial power, and other members of the Western community.
It receives economic aid from countries of the European Union,
the United States, and various international organizations. Libya
supplies aid and has an ambassador resident in N'Djamena.
Other
resident diplomatic missions in N'Djamena include the embassies
of France, the United States, Egypt, Algeria, Iraq, Sudan, Germany,
Central African Republic, Zaire, Nigeria, Taiwan, Cameroon, and
the European Economic Community. A number of other countries have
nonresident ambassadors. In 1988, Chad recognized the State of
Palestine, which maintains a mission in N'Djamena. Chad has not
recognized the State of Israel.
Although relations with Libya improved with the advent of the Deby government, strains persist. Chad has been an active champion of regional cooperation through the Central African Economic and Customs Union, the Lake Chad and Niger River Basin Commissions, and the Interstate Commission for the Fight Against the Drought in the Sahel. On February 8, 2006 the Tripoli Agreement, an attempt to end border related disputes between Chad and Sudan, was signed by Deby and Sudanese leader Al-Bashir at a summit hosted by Libyan leader Gaddafi. Following several violent confrontations between Chadian Government troops and rebels in the east, Deby broke off diplomatic ties with Al-Bashir, who he accused of backing Chadian rebels. Due to the gravity of the humanitarian crisis caused by these violent conflicts, the UN authorized the deployment of an EU peacekeeping force of 3,700 on September 25, 2007. On February 2, 2008 rebels infiltrated N'Djamena, surrounding the Presidential Palace, forcing the evacuation of U.S. Embassy personnel, and stalling the arrival of the peacekeeping presence. A cease-fire agreement was tentatively reached on February 5, 2008. On March 12, both sides met in Dakar, Senegal and signed a peace accord agreeing that they would stop backing rebels hostile to each other. Following that agreement, Sudan accused Chad of continuing to back Sudanese rebels and then severed ties with Chad. While relations between the neighboring nations continued to deteriorate, Chad experienced further rebel attacks within its borders in June 2008. On July 18, President Al-Bashir expressed his desire to restore diplomatic ties with Chad. In early August, the Libyan Government helped to broker an agreement between the Governments of Chad and Sudan. In October 2008, representatives from Chad and Sudan met in Tripoli to formally restore diplomatic ties between their nations, and an exchange of ambassadors occurred in mid-November.
Chad belongs to the following international organizations: UN and some of its specialized and related agencies; African Union; Central African Customs and Economic Union (UDEAC); African Financial Community (Franc Zone); Agency for the Francophone Community; African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States; African Development Bank; Central African States Development Bank; Economic and Monetary Union of Central African (CEMAC); Economic Community of Central African States (CEEAC); Economic Commission for Africa; G-77; International Civil Aviation Organization; International Confederation of Free Trade Unions; International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement; International Development Association; Islamic Development Bank; International Fund for Agricultural Development; International Finance Corporation; International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies; International Labor Organization; International Monetary Fund; Interpol; International Olympic Committee; International Telecommunication Union; NAM; Organization of the Islamic Conference; Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons; Universal Postal Union; World Confederation of Labor; World Intellectual Property Organization; World Meteorological Organization; World Tourism Organization; World Trade Organization.
U.S.-CHAD
RELATIONS
Relations between the United States and Chad are good. The American
embassy in N'Djamena, established at Chadian independence in 1960,
was closed from the onset of the heavy fighting in the city in
1980 until the withdrawal of the Libyan forces at the end of 1981.
It was reopened in January 1982. The U.S. Agency for International
Development (USAID) and the U.S. Information Service (USIS) offices
resumed activities in Chad in September 1983.
The United States enjoys cordial relations with the Deby government. Chad has proved a valuable partner in the global war on terror, and in providing shelter to approximately 250,000 refugees of Sudan's Darfur crisis along its eastern border.
Before permanently closing its Chad mission in 1995 because of declining funds and security concerns, USAID's development program in Chad concentrated on the agricultural, health, and infrastructure sectors. It also included projects in road repair and maintenance, maternal and child health, famine early warning systems, and agricultural marketing. A number of American voluntary agencies (notably AFRICARE and VITA) continue to operate in Chad. Peace Corps has traditionally had a large presence in Chad, with volunteers arriving during the postwar period in September 1987, then withdrawing in 1998. Peace Corps operations resumed in September 2003, with a group of 20 new volunteers. The second class of 17 volunteers arrived in September 2004. Both groups focused on teaching English; expansion into other areas was planned for 2005. Currently the Peace Corps presence in Chad is inactive.
DEFENSE
Under President Hissein Habre, members of Gourane, Zaghawa, Kanembou, Hadjerai, and Massa ethnic groups dominated the military. Idriss Deby, a member of the minority Zaghawa-related Bidyate clan and a top military commander, revolted and fled to Sudan, taking with him many Zaghawa and Hadjerai soldiers in 1989. The forces that Deby led into N'Djamena on December 1, 1990 to oust President Habre were mainly Zaghawa (including a large number of Sudanese), many of whom were recruited while Deby was in the bush. Deby's coalition also included a small number of Hadjerais and southerners.
Chad's armed forces numbered about 36,000 at the end of the Habre regime but swelled to an estimated 50,000 in the early days of Idriss Deby. With French support, a reorganization of the armed forces was initiated early in 1991 with the goal of reducing the size of the armed forces. An essential element of this effort was to make the ethnic composition of the armed forces reflective of the country as a whole. While the military’s size has been reduced to approximately 25,000 soldiers, leadership positions are still dominated by the Zaghawa.
Following Idriss Deby's rise to power, Habre loyalists continued to fight government troops and rob civilians around Lake Chad. In the mid- and late-1990s, a rebellion in the south by the FARF delayed the promised oil development until crushed by government forces. Most recently, the Movement for Democracy and Justice in Tchad (MDJT) launched the most serious threat to Deby's hold on power, but little progress was ever made on either side. In January 2002, the government and the MDJT signed a formal peace accord. Although remnants are still present in the North, active rebellion there has been negligible since late 2003.
Long, porous borders continue to render Chad vulnerable to incursions. In March 2004, the Algerian terrorist organization, the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC), strayed into Chadian territory, where they were engaged by Chadian armed forces. Since the 2003 outbreak of the Darfur crisis in Sudan, armed militias have occasionally crossed into Chad, resulting in small-scale skirmishes. In response to such ongoing threats Chad has joined in the Pan Sahel Initiative (PSI), a U.S. Government military-to-military assistance program which helps participant countries counter terrorist operations, border incursions, and trafficking of people, illicit materials, and other goods. Initial PSI training was completed in Chad in July 2004.
Principal U.S. Officials
Ambassador--Louis Nigro
Deputy Chief of Mission--Lucy Tamlyn
Political/Economic Officer--Rebecca Daley
Consular/ Officer--Franklin Garcia
Management Officer--Brad Palmer
Public Affairs Officer--Solomon Atayi
Regional Security Officer--David Richeson
Defense Attache--Lt. Col. Nicholas Lovelace
The U.S. Embassy in Chad is located on Avenue Felix Eboue, N'Djamena, (tel: 235-51-70-09, 235-51-90-52, or 235-51-92-33; fax 235-51-56-54).
