Benin

Cameroon

Chad

Niger

Nigeria

Military & Security

Politics

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

Hungary

Hungary is seeking to deploy 200 troops to Chad, Deutsche Welle reported Sept. 11.

Chad, Hungary: Budapest Planning Deployment of 200 Troops to Chad

Cote d'Ivoire

Gabon

Senegal

France

France is looking to reduce its total number of troops deployed in Senegal, Cote d'Ivoire, Gabon and Chad from 2,300 to 600 troops, Le Monde reported June 17, citing three French intelligence sources.

France: Country to Reduce Military Presence in Western and Central Africa 

United Arab Emirates

Russia

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov pledged to strengthen economic and military cooperation with Chad during a trip to the country on June 5, Alwihda Info reported on June 6.

Chad: Russian Official Discusses Military and Economic Cooperation With N'Djamena

Chad's opposition leader Succes Masra resigned from his post as prime minister following the confirmation of junta leader and interim President Mahamat Idriss Deby as the winner of the May 6 presidential election, Reuters reported on May 22.

Chad: Prime Minister Resigns After Controversial Presidential Poll

Chad's constitutional council on May 16 confirmed Mahamat Idriss Deby as the president, rejecting appeals from candidates Succes Masra and Albert Pahimi Padacke, Radio France Internationale reported the following day. 

Chad: Constitutional Court Confirms Deby as Winner of Presidential Poll

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

Sub-Saharan Africa

Burkina Faso

Central African Republic

Kenya

Middle East and North Africa

Libya

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

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: 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

Chad, Hungary: Budapest Planning Deployment of 200 Troops to Chad

France: Country to Reduce Military Presence in Western and Central Africa

Chad: Russian Official Discusses Military and Economic Cooperation With N'Djamena

Chad: Prime Minister Resigns After Controversial Presidential Poll

Chad: Constitutional Court Confirms Deby as Winner of Presidential Poll

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