Chad

Chad, officially known as the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country located in North Central Africa. It
is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, Central African Republic to the south, Cameroon
and Nigeria to the southwest and Niger to the west. The capital of Chad is N’Djamena which lies on the
banks of Lake Chad.
Chad’s history goes back thousands of years to the ancient Saharan and Sahelian cultures. During its
early history, it was part of several various kingdoms and empires including Kanem-Bornu Empire (13th
century – 19th century) and Ouaddai Kingdom (1596 – 1912). During its colonial period, Chad was
administered by France as part of French Equatorial Africa from 1920 until 1960 when it achieved full
independence. Since then, Chad has had a turbulent political history with numerous civil wars being
fought from 1965 until 1996.
The flag of Chad features three equal horizontal stripes – blue on top, yellow in the middle and red on
bottom. Each color has its own meaning; blue stands for hope and loyalty; yellow represents
faithfulness; while red symbolizes courage and sacrifice. Additionally, in the center of yellow stripe there
is a green star which represents unity between all Chadian ethnic groups.
The current president of Chad is Idriss Déby who has been in office since 1990 when he came into power
through a coup d’état. He was re-elected in 1996, 2001, 2006 and 2011 elections (which were deemed
non-democratic by international observers). In 2016 he won his fifth term in office through another
questionable election process. Throughout his rule President Déby has sought closer ties with foreign
countries such as France, China and Russia bolstering trade relations through investment deals with
them. Under his presidency Chad has made strides towards economic development but still struggles
with poverty , corruption and Islamic extremism .
In conclusion, it can be said that despite having a long and complex history riddled with conflict , today
Chad continues to move forward striving towards progress under President Déby’s leadership . While
there are still many issues that must be addressed before true peace can be achieved , this African
nation remains hopeful for a brighter future moving ahead .