Published August 8, 2012 By Amelia Whitehead Briefing CCPPR12TD Report available in PDF and Flash formats

Since gaining independence from France in 1960, Chadian politics have been characterized by instability and coups d’état. The consolidation of power under Francois Tombalbaye, a southerner, exacerbated religious and ethnic divides, ultimately resulting in civil war. Political infighting led to periodic eruptions of violence, culminating in the ascendancy of Idriss Deby to the presidency in 1991. Though Deby has ostensibly supported increased democratization, the results of the various multi-party elections held since 1996 have widely been regarded as flawed. Following the 2010 Chad-Sudan peace accord, relations between the two countries improved dramatically, ending the long-standing proxy war between them.

Since 2011, Chad’s political and economic situation has progressed significantly. The improvement in Chadian-Sudanese relations has led to a fall in the number of refugees and internally displaced persons, as fighting in the Darfur region has decreased in conjunction with the cessation of Chadian funding for the various rebel groups operating in the area. However, though oil extraction has granted the government more than US$754 billion in additional revenues, investment in poverty-alleviation projects remains low. Rising militancy and instability in nearby countries such as Nigeria and Mali could also spill over into Chad, threatening its current relative stability.

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Latest Update: 2012-08 Amelia Whitehead
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