Chad

Military & Security

Politics

One soldier was killed and three others were injured after a group of roughly two dozen assailants, armed with machetes and knives, tried to attack Chad's presidential complex palace in N'Djamena on the evening of Jan. 8, RFI has reported.

Chad: Attack on Presidential Palace Leaves 19 Dead

Sub-Saharan Africa

Ethiopia

Nigeria

Senegal

France

French President Emmanuel Macron said France had decided to withdraw from military facilities in West and Central Africa on its own initiative, triggering spats with Senegal and Chad, Radio France Internationale reported on Jan. 7.

France, Africa: Macron Stresses France Initiated Military Drawdowns, Outlines New Approach to Africa  

Cote d'Ivoire

Gabon

Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara announced in his New Year's address that France would hand over its Port Bouet military base near Abidjan to the Ivorian military by the end of January, Le Monde reported on Jan. 1.

Cote d'Ivoire: President Ouattara Announces France Will Cede Military Base

France withdrew two of its three Mirage 2000 fighter jets deployed to Chad, Reuters reported Dec. 10.

Chad, France: France Begins Withdrawal of Fighter Jets 

Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Deby, in a televised address on Dec. 1, defended the decision to end the defense agreement with France, calling it "obsolete" and lacking relevance to current challenges, Reuters reported the following day.

Chad, Senegal: Two More African Countries Declare Plans to End Military Deals with France

Benin

Cameroon

Niger

Chad's interim President Mahamat Idriss Deby threatened to withdraw from the Multinational Joint Task Force, or MNJTF, due to what he described as a failure to combat insurgent groups in the Lake Chad region effectively, Reuters reported on Nov. 4.

Chad: President Threatens To Withdraw From Multinational Security Force

United States

The United States and Chad agreed to return a "limited" number of U.S. special operations forces personnel to the Sahelian nation, Voice of America reported on Sept. 20. 

Chad: U.S. Forces To Return in Reduced Numbers

Mali

Economics

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

Floods across Western and Central Africa caused by unusually high rainfall have displaced at least 4 million people since late August, including at least 2.9 million people in Nigeria, Chad, Niger and Mali, Bloomberg reported on Sept. 17.

Nigeria, Sahel: Large-Scale Floods Threaten Harvest as Rains Persists

Assessments

South Sudan

Sudan

Sudanese army soldiers patrol an area in Khartoum on Nov. 3, 2024.

The warring sides' deep distrust and their external backers' competing interests portend a protracted conflict that may expand into South Sudan and Chad, and heighten jihadist activity.

The Security Implications of Sudan's Ongoing Civil War

Burkina Faso

Central African Republic

Kenya

Middle East and North Africa

Libya

Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin greets Burkina Faso's junta leader Capt. Ibrahim Traore during a welcoming ceremony at the second Russia-Africa summit in Saint Petersburg, Russia, on July 27, 2023.

Competition against the West will fuel Russia's outreach to Africa, but jihadist expansion in the Sahel will eventually force Moscow into tough policy decisions.

What the Future Holds for Russia in Africa

Mauritania

The Geopolitics of Water

Environmental conditions in the Sahel are likely to worsen due to desertification, rapid population growth and political instability. 

The Geopolitics of Water: The Role of Desertification in Conflict in the Sahel

Panama

China

Serbia

Hungary

Panamanian presidential candidate Jose Raul Mulino on May 1, 2024, in Panama City. Panamanians will vote May 5 to select their next president and all 71 members of the National Assembly.

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: Panama Holds General Elections, Xi Visits Europe

Snapshots

A picture taken through a car window shows Chadian soldiers barring the entrance to the road leading to the headquarters of the opposition Socialist Party Without Borders (PSF) in N'Djamena, Chad, on Feb. 29, 2024. 

Chad's junta leader is likely taking advantage of an armed rebellion to assert his power ahead of upcoming elections, but his government's violent crackdown on a leading opposition party risks further destabilizing the country.

What's Next for Chad Following Armed Clashes in the Capital? 

Ghana

South Africa

Supporters of former South African President Jacob Zuma sing and chant in Tembisa, South Africa, during a recruitment drive for Zuma's newly launched uMkhonto we Sizwe party on Jan. 21, 2024.

Of the 13 countries holding elections this year, Senegal, South Africa, Chad, Ghana and South Sudan's ballots will likely be the most politically and economically impactful.

Previewing Sub-Saharan Africa's 2024 Elections

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Chile

Iraq

Japan

A man holds a handout in support of Chile’s proposed new constitution on Dec. 6, 2023, in Santiago.

The Weekly Rundown: A Japan-ASEAN Summit, Constitutional Referendums in Chile and Chad

Equatorial Guinea

Republic of the Congo

People holding Gabon national flags celebrate in Libreville on August 30, 2023, after a group of military officers announced they were ''putting an end'' to President Ali Bongo Ondimba's regime. 

Rampant insecurity could precipitate the collapse of more Sahelian governments, while succession crises and patronage politics could do the same for Central Africa's dynastic leaders.

Assessing the Risk of Future African Coups, Part 1: The Sahel and Central Africa

Togo

French soldiers of the Barkhane force patrol the streets of Timbuktu, Mali, on Dec. 5, 2021.

In the wake of Niger's coup, France will be compelled to revamp its security strategy in the Sahel and West Africa at large.

What the Niger Crisis Means for France's Counterterrorism Strategy in Africa

French soldiers patrol the streets of Gao, Mali, on Dec. 4, 2021. 

France’s updated military posture in the African region focuses on supporting national armies, especially Niger’s. But this is unlikely to offset the impact of Paris’ withdrawal from Mali. 

France’s New Approach to the Sahel: Preparing for Sustained Regional Instability

Columns

On Geopolitics

Guinea

Guinea Bissau

Demonstrators in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, hold up photos of Malian coup leader Assimi Goita (who seized power in Mali for the second time in a May 2021 coup) and Burkina Faso coup leader Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba on Jan. 25, 2022.

Security

Old Leaders in a New Africa

The Suitors of Sub-Saharan Africa

Niger may soon join the wave of military takeovers, but that risk has more to do with what’s happening within the country's borders.

Putting West Africa’s ‘Coup Contagion’ in Context

Media

Podcasts

After a wave of coups, both successful and failed, in West African nations, is it safe to say democracy is under attack?

Essential Geopolitics: Why So Many Coups in West Africa?

Chad is a landlocked country in Central Africa which is considered one of the cradles of humanity. In its early history, its position straddling the transition between the Sahara and the Sahel placed it in a prime position for trans-Saharan trade, and its territory has comprised several African empires over the centuries. However, French imperial conquests in the 19th and early 20th centuries fastened Chad into the space it inhabits today.     While its political power is centered around the capital, N'Djamena, Chad has struggled to deal with its ethnic and regional divides since independence. Sedentary, often Christian populations in the south have historically clashed with nomadic, often Muslim groups in the north for political supremacy. The imposition of colonial borders in Chad's east separated ethnic and tribal groups in Sudan and Chad, driving political instability as the two countries have sought to control the space and its population.     Chad's position at a crossroads in Central Africa has often driven its involvement in regional security issues over the years. Chad is a significant contributor to combatting terrorism in the region, closely aligning itself with powers from the West such as France and the United States. These relationships are key for Chadian leaders seeking to augment weak internal resources and the country's landlocked status. However, Chad has emerged as a Central African oil producer in the past two decades, which has helped attract the interest of foreign investors. 

SITUATION REPORTS

Chad: Attack on Presidential Palace Leaves 19 Dead

France, Africa: Macron Stresses France Initiated Military Drawdowns, Outlines New Approach to Africa

Cote d'Ivoire: President Ouattara Announces France Will Cede Military Base

Chad, France: France Begins Withdrawal of Fighter Jets

Chad, Senegal: Two More African Countries Declare Plans to End Military Deals with France

Chad: President Threatens To Withdraw From Multinational Security Force

Chad: U.S. Forces To Return in Reduced Numbers

Nigeria, Sahel: Large-Scale Floods Threaten Harvest as Rains Persists

Forecasts

ANALYSES

SECTIONS

Explore

Subscribe

Help & Support