Chad 2019

Yearbook 2019

Chad. At the New Year, President Idriss Déby promised general elections in the first half of the year. It would be the first time since 2011, but once again the choice for the future was postponed.

Israeli Prime Minister visited Chad and Déby in January, and the countries decided to reestablish diplomatic relations that had been broken since 1967. Both emphasized a common interest in combating militant extremism and terrorism. Israel has reportedly provided Chad’s army with weapons and equipment to fight the rebels who strained resources in one of the world’s poorest countries. Chad’s army is now one of the strongest in the region. Ten Chadian UN soldiers were killed in January in an attack against a UN base in Mali.

In February, a convoy of armed rebels broke into Libya’s Chad, but was repulsed by French fighter aircraft at the request of Chad. According to the army, over 260 rebels were taken prisoner after the flight attack. The Chadian rebel alliance UFR had built up its strength in southern Libya and swore to overthrow Déby. France has an anti-terrorist force in N’Djamena, where the US also has a base.

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In March, at least 23 Chadian soldiers were killed by the Boko Haram terror group, which is said to cross the Niger border. In a new attack by Boko Haram in April, at least seven soldiers were killed. According to the military, over 60 attackers died in the fighting.

Boko Haram wants to establish an Islamic caliphate in the region and is fought by the G5 Sahel anti-terror force, where Chad’s military bears the greatest responsibility. Neighboring countries also participate.

Chad was also plagued by ethnic strife, and more than 35 people were killed in eastern Chad in violence between nomadic shepherds and indigenous peasants. According to the regime, it is a battle for land and water as the population grows and the drought threatens vegetation.

About 40 million people live in the countries around Lake Chad, where irregular rain and warmer climates have led to food shortages and over two million have left their homes because of terror. A German research report found that the conflicts around Lake Chad cannot be resolved militarily, but the population must be helped to manage climate change.

Outbreaks of measles threatened almost the whole of Chad during the year, with only one-third of children vaccinated. In May, more than 14,000 people were affected and at least 164 died from the disease since the outbreak the year before.

This year’s Global Childhood Report from Save the Children showed that Chad has the world’s highest child mortality. Over 12% of children die before the age of five. About half of the children in the country do not go to school but have to work. Child marriage is common, and Chad has the third highest proportion of teenage pregnancies in the world.

Chadian rebel leader General Mahamat Nouri was arrested in June in France on charges of crimes against humanity. He was former Minister of Idriss Déby, but joined the Armed Opposition in 2006.

In August, new ethnic struggles broke out with over 50 casualties. An emergency was introduced in two regions, and the regime deployed military.

About 30 people were killed in a landslide in an illegal gold mine in the Tibetan region since the mine collapsed. More people were feared to have been buried under the masses. There is a lot of illegal mining work, including with refugees from Sudan.

The rebels who were captured in February were sentenced in August to long prison sentences. Twelve were sentenced to 20 years in prison, and 231 people were sentenced to between ten and 14 years accused of terrorist offenses.

In December, at least 14 people were killed when Boko Haram attacked a fishing village on Lake Chad. After the attack, 13 people were missing.

Population 2019

According to CountryAAH, the population of Chad in 2019 was 15,946,765, ranking number 72 in the world. The population growth rate was 3.030% yearly, and the population density was 12.6643 people per km².