Who Leads Chad?

Leadership

Mahamat Idriss Deby

President of Chad

Political Party

PPS

Inaugurated

Oct 2024

Term Ends

TBD

Next Election

TBD

Born

Apr 4, 1984 in N'Djamena, Chad

Country Population

18M

Continent

Africa

Mahamat Idriss Deby took power in April 2021 following the battlefield death of his father, President Idriss Deby. A military officer, he initially led a transitional council and was formally elected president in 2024. His rise to power was controversial as it bypassed constitutional succession rules. He faces ongoing security threats from rebel groups.

Government

Capital

N'Djamena

Official Language(s)

French, Arabic

Currency

CFA Franc (XAF)

Government Type

Transitional Government

Area

1,284,000 km²

Chad is a large landlocked Sahelian country in north-central Africa. It spans from the Sahara Desert in the north to tropical savanna in the south. Oil production has become a major revenue source, though much of the population remains in poverty. Lake Chad, once one of Africa's largest lakes, has shrunk dramatically due to climate change and irrigation.

Chad has been governed by a military-transitional government since April 2021. President Mahamat Idriss Déby was ratified as President following his father's death. A transitional period concluded with a presidential election in May 2024 in which Mahamat Déby won with approximately 61% of the vote (opposition groups questioned the result). Unlike Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger (which expelled French forces), Chad has maintained its alliance with France and hosts approximately 1,000 French troops (Operation Barkhane originally included Chad as a base; now French presence is focused on Chad). The National Assembly has 188 seats.

Economic Snapshot

GDP

$12.3B

GDP Per Capita

$660

Income Group

Low income

Trade Balance

Variable (oil dependent)

Inflation

3.4% (INSEED, 2023)

Chad's oil discovery (2003) was supposed to be a development game-changer: the World Bank designed an unprecedented revenue transparency mechanism for the Chad-Cameroon pipeline, earmarking 85% of oil revenues for poverty reduction (education, health, rural development) and creating a Future Generations Fund. Within a few years, Chad's government redirected funds to military spending (the country was facing internal rebellions), and the World Bank eventually suspended the arrangement after Chad amended its revenue management law. The 'model development project' became a cautionary tale about resource governance. Chad's position in the center of the continent's conflict arc (Sudan to the east; Libya to the north; Central African Republic to the south; Nigeria/Boko Haram to the southwest) makes it both a major refuge destination (for people fleeing conflicts in all four directions) and a significant security state. The French military's presence (Operation Barkhane's Chad component; now more bilaterally focused) reflects Chad's centrality to Sahel security architecture. The gum arabic story is underappreciated: approximately 60% of the world's gum arabic (Acacia senegal resin) comes from the Sahel belt across Sudan and Chad. Every can of Coca-Cola contains gum arabic as an emulsifier; so does every M&M, many pharmaceutical tablets, and thousands of processed foods. The commodity's producers are among the world's poorest; its consumers are global food and beverage companies generating hundreds of billions in revenue.

Major Industries

• Oil (Doba Basin; Chad-Cameroon pipeline; World Bank-supervised; revenue mismanagement criticized)
• Cotton (COTONTCHAD; declining)
• Livestock (cattle; goats; camels; significant regional trade)
• Gold (artisanal; small formal)
• Agriculture (subsistence; millet; sorghum)

Chad is known for: Lake Chad (which Chad, Nigeria, Niger, and Cameroon share) has shrunk by approximately 90% since the 1960s due to climate change, irrigation, and desertification, from approximately 26,000 km² in 1963 to approximately 2,500 km² today; it is one of the world's most dramatic climate change case studies. The Tibesti Mountains (northern Chad; Sahara) contain the highest peaks in the Sahara (Emi Koussi; 3,445 m) and were Neolithic rock art sites of extraordinary importance.

Trade Profile

Chad's trade balance fluctuates with oil prices. Oil export revenues are theoretically subject to the Chad-Cameroon pipeline's revenue transparency mechanism (World Bank-designed), though governance of revenues has been widely criticized.

Top Exports

• Oil (Doba Basin; Chad-Cameroon pipeline)
• Livestock (cattle; camels; goats)
• Gum arabic
• Cotton (small)
• Other agricultural products

Top Imports

• Petroleum products
• Food
• Machinery
• Consumer goods
• Vehicles
• Chemicals

Export Destinations

• United States
• China
• France

Import Partners

• China
• Cameroon
• France
• Nigeria

The world depends on Chad for: Gum arabic (critical ingredient in Coca-Cola, processed foods; 60% of world supply from Chad-Sudan Sahel belt), oil, and cattle (significant regional livestock trade)

Chad depends on the world for: Petroleum products, food, machinery, consumer goods, and humanitarian aid (one of world's largest per capita aid recipients)

Global Role

Chad's global significance is the Lake Chad crisis (90% shrinkage; one of the world's most visible climate change impacts), the Sudanese refugee crisis (600,000+ refugees from Sudan's conflict), Mahamat Déby's inherited power after his father's battlefield death, the French military partnership (unlike neighboring Sahel countries that expelled France), and gum arabic production (in Coca-Cola and most processed foods globally).

• Lake Chad has shrunk by approximately 90% since 1963 (from approximately 26,000 km² to approximately 2,500 km²) due to climate change, desertification, and water extraction; approximately 40 million people in the Lake Chad Basin face acute water, food, and livelihood insecurity
• Idriss Déby Itno (President 1990-2021) was killed the day after winning his 6th presidential election (April 20, 2021), allegedly by FACT rebel forces in fighting; his son Mahamat Idriss Déby immediately took power; this extraordinary circumstance set a precedent for succession in authoritarian African states
• Chad is the world's largest producer of gum arabic (the edible gum from Acacia senegal trees; Sahel belt); gum arabic is used as an emulsifier in Coca-Cola, M&Ms, and thousands of processed foods; approximately 60% of global supply comes from the Sudan-Chad Sahel belt
• Chad hosts approximately 600,000+ Sudanese refugees from Darfur and the 2023-2024 Sudan civil war; the Darfur crisis (2003-ongoing) and renewed Sudan civil war (April 2023) have made eastern Chad home to some of the world's most severe refugee situations
• Unlike its Sahel neighbors (Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger), Chad has maintained close ties with France and hosts approximately 1,000 French troops; this makes Chad France's most important remaining Sahel military partnership
• The Tibesti Mountains (northern Chad; world's most inaccessible Sahara) contain the highest summit in the Sahara (Emi Koussi; 3,445 m; a shield volcano) and exceptional Neolithic rock art from a green Sahara period approximately 8,000 years ago
• Chad uses the Central African CFA franc (XAF; pegged to euro; backed by France) shared with 5 other central African countries; despite Sahel anti-French sentiment, Chad has not questioned the CFA franc arrangement

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is the current President of Chad?

Mahamat Idriss Déby has been President since April 20, 2021, the day his father (longtime President Idriss Déby Itno, who ruled for 30 years) was killed in combat. Mahamat, who was 37 at the time, was immediately named transitional head of state by the military council. He held a presidential election in May 2024, which he won with approximately 61% of the vote; opposition groups questioned the result. He maintains close relations with France and hosts French military forces.

What is happening to Lake Chad?

Lake Chad has shrunk by approximately 90% since the 1960s (from approximately 26,000 km² in 1963 to approximately 2,500 km² today). Contributing factors include: reduced rainfall in the Lake Chad Basin (climate change-driven; Sahel droughts), increased water extraction for irrigation (from the rivers feeding the lake), and human population growth increasing demand. Approximately 40 million people in Chad, Nigeria, Niger, and Cameroon depend on the lake for water, food (fish), and agriculture. The Boko Haram insurgency (which operates in the Lake Chad Basin area) is both caused by and causes resource scarcity in the region. The African Union has a Lake Chad Basin Commission focused on restoration, though progress is slow.

What is gum arabic and why is Chad important?

Gum arabic (E414; also acacia gum) is the natural resin obtained from Acacia senegal trees found primarily in the Sahel belt across Sudan and Chad. It is one of the world's most widely used food additives: it stabilizes the emulsion in Coca-Cola (preventing oil and water separation), coats M&Ms (giving them their shiny shell), is used in hundreds of processed foods, pharmaceuticals (tablet coatings), and cosmetics. Approximately 60% of global supply comes from Sudan and Chad. Chad is the second-largest producer. Despite its global ubiquity, gum arabic production provides minimal income to the Sahelian farmers who collect it from acacia trees.

Related Countries

• Sudan: Eastern neighbor; approximately 600,000+ Sudanese refugees in Chad from Darfur and 2023-2024 Sudan civil war; shared Sahel gum arabic production
• Nigeria: Southwestern neighbor; Lake Chad shared; Boko Haram operates across the border; Nigeria is the largest regional economic power affecting Chad
• Cameroon: Southern neighbor; Douala port is Chad's main sea access; Chad-Cameroon oil pipeline (Doba-Kribi); Lake Chad shared
• Central African Republic: Southern neighbor; CAR refugees in Chad; Chad has sent troops to help stabilize CAR
• France: Former colonial power; approximately 1,000 French troops based in N'Djamena; France's most important remaining Sahel military partnership after Mali, Burkina, Niger expelled French forces
• Libya: Northern neighbor; Libyan instability affects Chad's northern Borkou and Tibesti regions; Libyan militias have operated in northern Chad