Jump to navigation

Chad

Floods worsen humanitarian crisis as west eyes deals on troop returns

The UN has called for funding to tackle climate change, as France and US court the central African state to be a partner in tackling Islamic terrorism

Several months of severe flooding in Chad have intensified the humanitarian crisis facing the central African country, which finds itself struggling to cope with a refugee crisis and being among the states most vulnerable to climate change.

The flooding has claimed 503 lives and destroyed more than 200,000 homes since July, the United Nations said on 21 September.

The UN has called for immediate action and funding to tackle climate change.

Chad is already struggling to cope with the spillover effects of the civil war in neighbouring Sudan. It had been hosting over one million displaced people even before the recent escalation of violence between the Rapid Support Forces and Sudan Armed Forces. More than 500,000 Sudanese people had been driven into Chad according to international aid agencies.

Chad has been listed as the second most vulnerable country to climate change in the world. The UN Environment Programme estimates that Lake Chad has shrunk by 90% since 1963 because of reduced rainfall. However, along with drought, that makes the lake vulnerable to extreme rainfall.

At the same time, western states are now eyeing Chad as a priority partner in central Africa as they seek to maintain their influence in the region and tackle Islamic terrorism (AC Vol 64 No 5, Border troubles threaten the region & Vol 64 No 23, Presidents Mahamat Kaka and Macron meet on security threats). Having been forced to abandon their military bases in the Sahel, France and the United States are among a group who are actively courting President Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno ‘Kaka’ to set up bases in Chad.

On 20 September, after reaching an agreement with Kaka, the US Pentagon confirmed that Special Forces troops would be returning to Chad.



Related Articles

Border troubles threaten the region

The Chad-Sudan frontier and the restive militias which straddle it are looming larger as tensions rise

On 29 January, Sudan's military leader, General Abdel Fattah al Burhan, went to Ndjamena to discuss growing insecurity on the Chad-Sudan border. No surprises there, perhaps, but th...


Presidents Mahamat Kaka and Macron meet on security threats

Paris needs Ndjamena's cooperation more than ever after the rupture of its ties with Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso

The worsening regional crisis triggered by the war in Sudan and Chad's own national reconciliation process dominated the visit of President Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno 'Kaka' t...


    Vol 53 No 10 |
  • CHAD

New financiers, new disputes

After falling out with the World Bank, President Déby wants to boost his political popularity with cheap fuel but China is arguing over the bill

President Idriss Déby Itno is using his country’s significant oil resources to work in his favour and it seems to be paying off. For the first time, locally refined fuel is availab...


    Vol 65 No 10 |
  • CHAD

Coup zone election pits votes against tanks

New details about President Kaka's break with the US have emerged as the election exposes some of the political manoeuvring within the elite

The campaigning which culminated in national elections on 6 May proved livelier than expected. Yet nobody doubts that President Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno 'Kaka' will win, pro...


    Vol 42 No 22 |
  • CHAD

Desert fox

President Déby wants oil, needs friends and fears prosecution

President Idriss Déby's arbitrary rule worries regional allies and foreign investors. There is growing anxiety in the consortium, led by ExxonMobil of the United States, whi...