{
  "Introduction": {
    "Background": {
      "text": "<p>Chad emerged from a collection of powerful states that controlled the Sahelian belt starting around the 9th century. These states focused on controlling trans-Saharan trade routes and profited mostly from the slave trade. The Kanem-Bornu Empire, centered around the Lake Chad Basin, existed between the 9th and 19th centuries, and during its peak, the empire controlled territory stretching from southern Chad to southern Libya and included portions of modern-day Algeria, Cameroon, Nigeria, Niger, and Sudan. The Sudanese warlord Rabih AZ-ZUBAYR used an army comprised largely of slaves to conquer the Kanem-Bornu Empire in the late 19th century. In southeastern Chad, the Bagirmi and Ouaddai (Wadai) kingdoms emerged in the 15th and 16th centuries and lasted until the arrival of the French in the 19th and 20th centuries. France began moving into the region in the late 1880s and defeated the Bagirmi kingdom in 1897, Rabih AZ-ZUBAYR in 1900, and the Ouddai kingdom in 1909. In the arid regions of northern Chad and southern Libya, an Islamic order called the Sanusiyya (Sanusi) relied heavily on the trans-Saharan slave trade and had upwards of 3 million followers by the 1880s. The French arrived in the region in the early 1900s and defeated the Sanusiyya in 1910 after years of intermittent war. By 1910, France had incorporated the northern arid region, the Lake Chad Basin, and southeastern Chad into French Equatorial Africa.  </p> <p>Chad achieved its independence in 1960 and saw three decades of instability, oppressive rule, civil war, and a Libyan invasion. With the help of the French military and several African countries, Chadian leaders expelled Libyan forces during the 1987 \"Toyota War,\" so named for the use of Toyota pickup trucks as fighting vehicles. In 1990, Chadian general Idriss DEBY led a rebellion against President Hissene HABRE. Under DEBY, Chad drafted and approved a constitution and held elections in 1996. DEBY led the country until April 2021 when he was killed during a rebel incursion. Shortly after his death, a group of military officials - led by former President DEBY’s son, Mahamat Idriss DEBY - took control of the government. The military officials dismissed the National Assembly, suspended the Constitution, and formed a Transitional Military Council while pledging to hold democratic elections in October 2022.</p> <p>Chad faces widespread poverty, an economy severely weakened by low international oil prices, and rebel and terrorist-led insurgencies in the Lake Chad Basin. Additionally, northern Chad has seen several waves of rebellions since 1998. In late 2015, the government imposed a state of emergency in the Lake Chad Basin following multiple attacks by the terrorist group Boko Haram, now known as ISIS-West Africa. In mid-2015, Boko Haram conducted bombings in N'Djamena. In late 2019, the Chadian government also declared a state of emergency in the Sila and Ouaddai regions bordering Sudan and in the Tibesti region bordering Niger where rival ethnic groups are still fighting. The army has suffered heavy losses to Islamic terror groups in the Lake Chad Basin. In March 2020, Islamic militants attacked a Chadian military camp in the Lake Chad Basin and killed nearly 100 soldiers; it was the deadliest attack in the history of the Chadian military.</p>"
    }
  },
  "Geography": {
    "Location": {
      "text": "Central Africa, south of Libya"
    },
    "Geographic coordinates": {
      "text": "15 00 N, 19 00 E"
    },
    "Map references": {
      "text": "Africa"
    },
    "Area": {
      "total": {
        "text": "1.284 million sq km"
      },
      "land": {
        "text": "1,259,200 sq km"
      },
      "water": {
        "text": "24,800 sq km"
      }
    },
    "Area - comparative": {
      "text": "almost nine times the size of New York state; slightly more than three times the size of California"
    },
    "Land boundaries": {
      "total": {
        "text": "6,406 km"
      },
      "border countries": {
        "text": "Cameroon 1,116 km; Central African Republic 1,556 km; Libya 1,050 km; Niger 1,196 km; Nigeria 85 km; Sudan 1,403 km"
      }
    },
    "Coastline": {
      "text": "0 km (landlocked)"
    },
    "Maritime claims": {
      "text": "none (landlocked)"
    },
    "Climate": {
      "text": "tropical in south, desert in north"
    },
    "Terrain": {
      "text": "broad, arid plains in center, desert in north, mountains in northwest, lowlands in south"
    },
    "Elevation": {
      "highest point": {
        "text": "Emi Koussi 3,445 m"
      },
      "lowest point": {
        "text": "Djourab 160 m"
      },
      "mean elevation": {
        "text": "543 m"
      }
    },
    "Natural resources": {
      "text": "petroleum, uranium, natron, kaolin, fish (Lake Chad), gold, limestone, sand and gravel, salt"
    },
    "Land use": {
      "agricultural land": {
        "text": "39.6% (2018 est.)"
      },
      "agricultural land: arable land": {
        "text": "arable land: 3.9% (2018 est.)"
      },
      "agricultural land: permanent crops": {
        "text": "permanent crops: 0% (2018 est.)"
      },
      "agricultural land: permanent pasture": {
        "text": "permanent pasture: 35.7% (2018 est.)"
      },
      "forest": {
        "text": "9.1% (2018 est.)"
      },
      "other": {
        "text": "51.3% (2018 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Irrigated land": {
      "text": "300 sq km (2012)"
    },
    "Major lakes (area sq km)": {
      "fresh water lake(s)": {
        "text": "Lake Chad (endorheic lake shared with Niger, Nigeria, and Cameroon) - 10,360-25,900 sq km<br>note - area varies by season and year to year"
      }
    },
    "Major watersheds (area sq km)": {
      "text": "Atlantic Ocean drainage: Niger (2,261,741 sq km)<br>Internal <em>(endorheic basin) </em>drainage: Lake Chad (2,497,738 sq km)"
    },
    "Major aquifers": {
      "text": "Lake Chad Basin, Nubian Aquifer System"
    },
    "Population distribution": {
      "text": "the population is unevenly distributed due to contrasts in climate and physical geography; the highest density is found in the southwest, particularly around Lake Chad and points south; the dry Saharan zone to the north is the least densely populated as shown in this population distribution map"
    },
    "Natural hazards": {
      "text": "hot, dry, dusty harmattan winds occur in north; periodic droughts; locust plagues"
    },
    "Geography - note": {
      "text": "<p><strong>note 1:</strong> Chad is the largest of Africa's 16 landlocked countries</p> <p><strong>note 2:</strong> not long ago - geologically speaking - what is today the Sahara was green savannah teeming with wildlife; during the African Humid Period, roughly 11,000 to 5,000 years ago, a vibrant animal community, including elephants, giraffes, hippos, and antelope lived there; the last remnant of the \"Green Sahara\" exists in the Lakes of Ounianga (oo-nee-ahn-ga) in northern Chad, a series of 18 interconnected freshwater, saline, and hypersaline lakes now protected as a World Heritage site</p> <p><strong>note 3:</strong> Lake Chad, the most significant water body in the Sahel, is a remnant of a former inland sea, paleolake Mega-Chad; at its greatest extent, sometime before 5000 B.C., Lake Mega-Chad was the largest of four Saharan paleolakes that existed during the African Humid Period; it covered an area of about 400,000 sq km (150,000 sq mi), roughly the size of today's Caspian Sea</p>"
    }
  },
  "People and Society": {
    "Population": {
      "text": "18,523,165 (2023 est.)"
    },
    "Nationality": {
      "noun": {
        "text": "Chadian(s)"
      },
      "adjective": {
        "text": "Chadian"
      }
    },
    "Ethnic groups": {
      "text": "Sara (Ngambaye/Sara/Madjingaye/Mbaye) 30.5%, Kanembu/Bornu/Buduma 9.8%, Arab 9.7%, Wadai/Maba/Masalit/Mimi 7%, Gorane 5.8%, Masa/Musseye/Musgum 4.9%, Bulala/Medogo/Kuka 3.7%, Marba/Lele/Mesme 3.5%, Mundang 2.7%, Bidiyo/Migaama/Kenga/Dangleat 2.5%, Dadjo/Kibet/Muro 2.4%, Tupuri/Kera 2%, Gabri/Kabalaye/Nanchere/Somrai 2%, Fulani/Fulbe/Bodore 1.8%, Karo/Zime/Peve 1.3%, Baguirmi/Barma 1.2%, Zaghawa/Bideyat/Kobe 1.1%, Tama/Assongori/Mararit 1.1%, Mesmedje/Massalat/Kadjakse 0.8%, other Chadian ethnicities 3.4%, Chadians of foreign ethnicities 0.9%, foreign nationals 0.3%, unspecified 1.7% (2014-15 est.)"
    },
    "Languages": {
      "Languages": {
        "text": "French (official), Arabic (official), Sara (in south), more than 120 different languages and dialects"
      },
      "major-language sample(s)": {
        "text": "<br>The World Factbook, une source indispensable d'informations de base. (French)<br><br>كتاب حقائق العالم، المصدر الذي لا يمكن الاستغناء عنه للمعلومات الأساسية (Arabic)<br><br>The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information."
      }
    },
    "Religions": {
      "text": "Muslim 52.1%, Protestant 23.9%, Roman Catholic 20%, animist 0.3%, other Christian 0.2%, none 2.8%, unspecified 0.7% (2014-15 est.)"
    },
    "Demographic profile": {
      "text": "<p>Despite the start of oil production in 2003, around 40% of Chad’s population lived below the poverty line as of 2018. The population will continue to grow rapidly because of the country’s very high fertility rate and large youth cohort – more than 65% of the populace is under the age of 25 as of 2022 – although the mortality rate is high and life expectancy is low. Chad has the world’s second highest maternal mortality rate as of 2017. Among the primary risk factors are poverty, anemia, rural habitation, high fertility, poor education, and a lack of access to family planning and obstetric care. Impoverished, uneducated adolescents living in rural areas are most affected. To improve women’s reproductive health and reduce fertility, Chad will need to increase women’s educational attainment, job participation, and knowledge of and access to family planning. Less than a quarter of women are literate, less than 10% use contraceptives, and more than 40% undergo genital cutting.</p> <p>As of December 2022, more than 403,000 refugees from Sudan and more than 120,000 from the Central African Republic strain Chad’s limited resources and create tensions in host communities. Thousands of new refugees fled to Chad in 2013 to escape worsening violence in the Darfur region of Sudan. The large refugee populations are hesitant to return to their home countries because of continued instability. Chad was relatively stable in 2012 in comparison to other states in the region, but past fighting between government forces and opposition groups and inter-communal violence have left more than 380,000 of its citizens displaced in the eastern part of the country as of 2022.</p>"
    },
    "Age structure": {
      "0-14 years": {
        "text": "46.24% (male 4,334,264/female 4,231,658)"
      },
      "15-64 years": {
        "text": "51.27% (male 4,646,510/female 4,849,878)"
      },
      "65 years and over": {
        "text": "2.49% (2023 est.) (male 197,450/female 263,405)"
      }
    },
    "Dependency ratios": {
      "total dependency ratio": {
        "text": "98.7"
      },
      "youth dependency ratio": {
        "text": "94.7"
      },
      "elderly dependency ratio": {
        "text": "4"
      },
      "potential support ratio": {
        "text": "24.9 (2021 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Median age": {
      "total": {
        "text": "16.1 years"
      },
      "male": {
        "text": "15.6 years"
      },
      "female": {
        "text": "16.5 years (2020 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Population growth rate": {
      "text": "3.05% (2023 est.)"
    },
    "Birth rate": {
      "text": "39.85 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)"
    },
    "Death rate": {
      "text": "9.21 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)"
    },
    "Net migration rate": {
      "text": "-0.12 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)"
    },
    "Population distribution": {
      "text": "the population is unevenly distributed due to contrasts in climate and physical geography; the highest density is found in the southwest, particularly around Lake Chad and points south; the dry Saharan zone to the north is the least densely populated as shown in this population distribution map"
    },
    "Urbanization": {
      "urban population": {
        "text": "24.4% of total population (2023)"
      },
      "rate of urbanization": {
        "text": "4.1% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Major urban areas - population": {
      "text": "1.592 million N'DJAMENA (capital) (2023)"
    },
    "Sex ratio": {
      "at birth": {
        "text": "1.04 male(s)/female"
      },
      "0-14 years": {
        "text": "1.02 male(s)/female"
      },
      "15-64 years": {
        "text": "0.96 male(s)/female"
      },
      "65 years and over": {
        "text": "0.75 male(s)/female"
      },
      "total population": {
        "text": "0.98 male(s)/female (2023 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Mother's mean age at first birth": {
      "text": "18.1 years (2014/15 est.)",
      "note": "<strong>note:</strong> data represents median age at first birth among women 20-49"
    },
    "Maternal mortality ratio": {
      "text": "1,063 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)"
    },
    "Infant mortality rate": {
      "total": {
        "text": "63.99 deaths/1,000 live births"
      },
      "male": {
        "text": "69.63 deaths/1,000 live births"
      },
      "female": {
        "text": "58.11 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Life expectancy at birth": {
      "total population": {
        "text": "59.57 years"
      },
      "male": {
        "text": "57.71 years"
      },
      "female": {
        "text": "61.51 years (2023 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Total fertility rate": {
      "text": "5.35 children born/woman (2023 est.)"
    },
    "Gross reproduction rate": {
      "text": "2.62 (2023 est.)"
    },
    "Contraceptive prevalence rate": {
      "text": "8.1% (2019)"
    },
    "Drinking water source": {
      "improved: urban": {
        "text": "urban: 90.2% of population"
      },
      "improved: rural": {
        "text": "rural: 51.9% of population"
      },
      "improved: total": {
        "text": "total: 60.9% of population"
      },
      "unimproved: urban": {
        "text": "urban: 9.8% of population"
      },
      "unimproved: rural": {
        "text": "rural: 48.1% of population"
      },
      "unimproved: total": {
        "text": "total: 39.1% of population (2020 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Current health expenditure": {
      "text": "5.4% of GDP (2020)"
    },
    "Physicians density": {
      "text": "0.06 physicians/1,000 population (2020)"
    },
    "Sanitation facility access": {
      "improved: urban": {
        "text": "urban: 57.5% of population"
      },
      "improved: rural": {
        "text": "rural: 4.9% of population"
      },
      "improved: total": {
        "text": "total: 17.3% of population"
      },
      "unimproved: urban": {
        "text": "urban: 42.5% of population"
      },
      "unimproved: rural": {
        "text": "rural: 95.1% of population"
      },
      "unimproved: total": {
        "text": "total: 82.7% of population (2020 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Major infectious diseases": {
      "degree of risk": {
        "text": "very high (2023)"
      },
      "food or waterborne diseases": {
        "text": "bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever"
      },
      "vectorborne diseases": {
        "text": "malaria and dengue fever"
      },
      "water contact diseases": {
        "text": "schistosomiasis"
      },
      "animal contact diseases": {
        "text": "rabies"
      },
      "respiratory diseases": {
        "text": "meningococcal meningitis"
      },
      "note": "<strong>note:</strong> on 22 March 2023, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a Travel Alert for polio in Africa; Chad is currently considered a high risk to travelers for circulating vaccine-derived polioviruses (cVDPV); vaccine-derived poliovirus (VDPV) is a strain of the weakened poliovirus that was initially included in oral polio vaccine (OPV) and that has changed over time and behaves more like the wild or naturally occurring virus; this means it can be spread more easily to people who are unvaccinated against polio and who come in contact with the stool or respiratory secretions, such as from a sneeze, of an “infected” person who received oral polio vaccine; the CDC recommends that before any international travel, anyone unvaccinated, incompletely vaccinated, or with an unknown polio vaccination status should complete the routine polio vaccine series; before travel to any high-risk destination, the CDC recommends that adults who previously completed the full, routine polio vaccine series receive a single, lifetime booster dose of polio vaccine"
    },
    "Obesity - adult prevalence rate": {
      "text": "6.1% (2016)"
    },
    "Alcohol consumption per capita": {
      "total": {
        "text": "0.55 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)"
      },
      "beer": {
        "text": "0.37 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)"
      },
      "wine": {
        "text": "0.01 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)"
      },
      "spirits": {
        "text": "0.01 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)"
      },
      "other alcohols": {
        "text": "0.16 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Tobacco use": {
      "total": {
        "text": "8.3% (2020 est.)"
      },
      "male": {
        "text": "13.8% (2020 est.)"
      },
      "female": {
        "text": "2.7% (2020 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Children under the age of 5 years underweight": {
      "text": "29.2% (2019)"
    },
    "Currently married women (ages 15-49)": {
      "text": "70.6% (2023 est.)"
    },
    "Child marriage": {
      "women married by age 15": {
        "text": "24.2%"
      },
      "women married by age 18": {
        "text": "60.6%"
      },
      "men married by age 18": {
        "text": "8.1% (2019 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Education expenditures": {
      "text": "2.9% of GDP (2021 est.)"
    },
    "Literacy": {
      "definition": {
        "text": "age 15 and over can read and write French or Arabic"
      },
      "total population": {
        "text": "26.8%"
      },
      "male": {
        "text": "35.4%"
      },
      "female": {
        "text": "18.2% (2021)"
      }
    },
    "School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)": {
      "total": {
        "text": "7 years"
      },
      "male": {
        "text": "9 years"
      },
      "female": {
        "text": "6 years (2015)"
      }
    },
    "Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)": {
      "total": {
        "text": "2.4%"
      },
      "male": {
        "text": "3.3%"
      },
      "female": {
        "text": "1.4% (2021 est.)"
      }
    }
  },
  "Environment": {
    "Environment - current issues": {
      "text": "inadequate supplies of potable water; improper waste disposal in rural areas and poor farming practices contribute to soil and water pollution; desertification"
    },
    "Environment - international agreements": {
      "party to": {
        "text": "Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands"
      },
      "signed, but not ratified": {
        "text": "Marine Dumping-London Convention"
      }
    },
    "Climate": {
      "text": "tropical in south, desert in north"
    },
    "Land use": {
      "agricultural land": {
        "text": "39.6% (2018 est.)"
      },
      "agricultural land: arable land": {
        "text": "arable land: 3.9% (2018 est.)"
      },
      "agricultural land: permanent crops": {
        "text": "permanent crops: 0% (2018 est.)"
      },
      "agricultural land: permanent pasture": {
        "text": "permanent pasture: 35.7% (2018 est.)"
      },
      "forest": {
        "text": "9.1% (2018 est.)"
      },
      "other": {
        "text": "51.3% (2018 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Urbanization": {
      "urban population": {
        "text": "24.4% of total population (2023)"
      },
      "rate of urbanization": {
        "text": "4.1% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Food insecurity": {
      "widespread lack of access": {
        "text": "<em>due to civil insecurity and high food prices - </em>according to the latest analysis, about 1.86 million people are projected to experience acute food insecurity during the June to August 2023 lean season period; this would be an improvement compared to the previous year, mostly due to the higher year-on-year cereal output in 2022 after the below average 2021 production; acute food insecurity is underpinned by persisting insecurity in the Lac and Tibesti regions, which had displaced over 380 000 people by April 2023; furthermore, elevated food prices due to high fuel costs and localized crop losses during the 2022 floods are aggravating food insecurity (2023)"
      }
    },
    "Revenue from forest resources": {
      "text": "3.81% of GDP (2018 est.)"
    },
    "Revenue from coal": {
      "text": "0% of GDP (2018 est.)"
    },
    "Air pollutants": {
      "particulate matter emissions": {
        "text": "53.01 micrograms per cubic meter (2016 est.)"
      },
      "carbon dioxide emissions": {
        "text": "1.02 megatons (2016 est.)"
      },
      "methane emissions": {
        "text": "30.69 megatons (2020 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Waste and recycling": {
      "municipal solid waste generated annually": {
        "text": "1,358,851 tons (2010 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Major lakes (area sq km)": {
      "fresh water lake(s)": {
        "text": "Lake Chad (endorheic lake shared with Niger, Nigeria, and Cameroon) - 10,360-25,900 sq km<br>note - area varies by season and year to year"
      }
    },
    "Major watersheds (area sq km)": {
      "text": "Atlantic Ocean drainage: Niger (2,261,741 sq km)<br>Internal <em>(endorheic basin) </em>drainage: Lake Chad (2,497,738 sq km)"
    },
    "Major aquifers": {
      "text": "Lake Chad Basin, Nubian Aquifer System"
    },
    "Total water withdrawal": {
      "municipal": {
        "text": "100 million cubic meters (2020 est.)"
      },
      "industrial": {
        "text": "100 million cubic meters (2020 est.)"
      },
      "agricultural": {
        "text": "670 million cubic meters (2020 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Total renewable water resources": {
      "text": "45.7 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)"
    }
  },
  "Government": {
    "Country name": {
      "conventional long form": {
        "text": "Republic of Chad"
      },
      "conventional short form": {
        "text": "Chad"
      },
      "local long form": {
        "text": "Republique du Tchad/Jumhuriyat Tshad"
      },
      "local short form": {
        "text": "Tchad/Tshad"
      },
      "etymology": {
        "text": "named for Lake Chad, which lies along the country's western border; the word \"tsade\" means \"large body of water\" or \"lake\" in several local native languages"
      },
      "note": "<strong>note:</strong> the only country whose name is composed of a single syllable with a single vowel"
    },
    "Government type": {
      "text": "presidential republic"
    },
    "Capital": {
      "name": {
        "text": "N'Djamena"
      },
      "geographic coordinates": {
        "text": "12 06 N, 15 02 E"
      },
      "time difference": {
        "text": "UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)"
      },
      "etymology": {
        "text": "name taken from the Arab name of a nearby village, Nijamina, meaning \"place of rest\""
      }
    },
    "Administrative divisions": {
      "text": "23 provinces (provinces, singular - province); Barh-El-Gazel, Batha, Borkou, Chari-Baguirmi, Ennedi-Est, Ennedi-Ouest, Guera, Hadjer-Lamis, Kanem, Lac, Logone Occidental, Logone Oriental, Mandoul, Mayo-Kebbi-Est, Mayo-Kebbi-Ouest, Moyen-Chari, N'Djamena, Ouaddai, Salamat, Sila, Tandjile, Tibesti, Wadi-Fira"
    },
    "Independence": {
      "text": "11 August 1960 (from France)"
    },
    "National holiday": {
      "text": "Independence Day, 11 August (1960)"
    },
    "Constitution": {
      "history": {
        "text": "several previous; latest approved 30 April 2018 by the National Assembly, entered into force 4 May 2018; suspended 21 April 2021 and remained so through April 2022"
      },
      "amendments": {
        "text": "proposed as a revision by the president of the republic after a Council of Ministers (cabinet) decision or by the National Assembly; approval for consideration of a revision requires at least three-fifths majority vote by the Assembly; passage requires approval by referendum or at least two-thirds majority vote by the Assembly"
      }
    },
    "Legal system": {
      "text": "mixed legal system of civil and customary law"
    },
    "International law organization participation": {
      "text": "has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction"
    },
    "Citizenship": {
      "citizenship by birth": {
        "text": "no"
      },
      "citizenship by descent only": {
        "text": "both parents must be citizens of Chad"
      },
      "dual citizenship recognized": {
        "text": "Chadian law does not address dual citizenship"
      },
      "residency requirement for naturalization": {
        "text": "15 years"
      }
    },
    "Suffrage": {
      "text": "18 years of age; universal"
    },
    "Executive branch": {
      "chief of state": {
        "text": "Interim President Mahamat Idriss DEBY (since 20 April 2021); note - on 20 April 2021, newly reelected President Idriss DEBY Itno, Lt. Gen. died of injuries sustained following clashes between government forces he was commanding and insurgents in the northern part of the country; following his death, Mahamat Idriss DEBY took control of the country and dismissed the Chadian parliament, establishing a Transitional Military Council and promising elections within 18 months"
      },
      "head of government": {
        "text": "Interim Prime Minister Albert Pahimi PADACKE (since 26 April 2021); note - PADACKE was appointed interim prime minister by the Transitional Military Council led by Mahamat Idriss DEBY"
      },
      "cabinet": {
        "text": "Council of Ministers"
      },
      "elections/appointments": {
        "text": "president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (no term limits); election last held on 11 April 2021; note - on 20 April 2021, military officials suspended the constitution and formed a Transitional Military Council, pledging to hold democratic elections in October 2022"
      },
      "election results": {
        "text": "<em><br>2021</em>: Lt. Gen. Idriss DEBY Itno reelected; percent of vote - Lt. Gen. Idriss DEBY (MPS) 79.3%, Pahimi PADACKET Albert (RNDT) 10.3%, Lydie BEASSEMDA (Party for Democracy and Independence) 3.2%, other 7.2%<br><em><br>2016</em>: Lt. Gen. Idriss DEBY Itno reelected president in first round; percent of vote - Lt. Gen. Idriss DEBY (MPS) 61.6%, Saleh KEBZABO (UNDR) 12.8%, Laokein Kourayo MEDAR (CTPD) 10.7%, Djimrangar DADNADJI (CAP-SUR) 5.1%, other 9.8%"
      }
    },
    "Legislative branch": {
      "description": {
        "text": "formerly a unicameral National Assembly or <em>Assemblée Nationale </em>(188 seats; 163 directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote and 25 directly elected in single-seat constituencies by absolute majority vote with a second round if needed; members serve 4-year terms); note - on 5 October 2021, Interim President Mahamat Idriss DEBY installed 93 members of an interim parliament, called the National Transitional Council (NTC), replacing the National Assembly which was disbanded after he took control of the country on 20 April 2021; according to DEBY, the NTC will act as a national assembly of transition until the country’s next elections take place"
      },
      "elections": {
        "text": "members of the so called \"National Transitional Council\" were installed by Interim President DEBY on 5 October 2021 (next parliamentary elections to be held September 2022)"
      },
      "election results": {
        "text": "percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; composition - men 64, women 29, percent of women 31.2%"
      },
      "note": "<strong>note:</strong> the National Assembly mandate was extended to 2020, reportedly due to a lack of funding for the scheduled 2015 election; the MPS has held a majority in the NA since 1997"
    },
    "Judicial branch": {
      "highest court(s)": {
        "text": "Supreme Court (consists of the chief justice, 3 chamber presidents, and 12 judges or councilors and divided into 3 chambers); Constitutional Council (consists of 3 judges and 6 jurists)"
      },
      "judge selection and term of office": {
        "text": "Supreme Court chief justice selected by the president; councilors - 8 designated by the president and 7 by the speaker of the National Assembly; chief justice and councilors appointed for life; Constitutional Council judges - 2 appointed by the president and 1 by the speaker of the National Assembly; jurists - 3 each by the president and by the speaker of the National Assembly; judges appointed for 9-year terms"
      },
      "subordinate courts": {
        "text": "High Court of Justice; Courts of Appeal; tribunals; justices of the peace"
      }
    },
    "Political parties and leaders": {
      "text": "Chadian Convention for Peace and Development or CTPD [Laoukein Kourayo MEDARD]<br>Federation Action for the Republic or FAR [Ngarledjy YORONGAR]<br>National Rally for Development and Progress or Viva-RNDP [Dr. Nouradine Delwa Kassire COUMAKOYE]<br>National Union for Democracy and Renewal or UNDR [Saleh KEBZABO]<br>Party for Unity and Reconstruction or PUR<br>Patriotic Salvation Movement or MPS [formerly Idriss DEBY] <br>Rally for Democracy and Progress or RDP [Mahamat Allahou TAHER]<br>Rally of Chadian Nationalists/Awakening or RNDT/Le Reveil [Albert Pahimi PADACKE]<br>Social Democratic Party for a Change-over of Power or PDSA [Malloum YOBODA]<br>Union for Democracy and the Republic or UDR<br>Union for Renewal and Democracy or URD [Felix Romadoumngar NIALBE]<br> <br><strong>note 1:</strong> 19 additional parties each contributed one member<strong><br>note 2:</strong> only parties with at least two seats in the last elected National Assembly (February 2011) included",
      "note": "<strong>note:</strong> on 5 October 2021, Interim President Mahamat Idriss DEBY appointed 93 members to the interim National Transitional Council (NTC); 30% of the NTC members were retained from parties previously represented in the National Assembly"
    },
    "International organization participation": {
      "text": "ACP, AfDB, AU, BDEAC, CEMAC, EITI (compliant country), FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LCBC, MIGA, MINUSMA, MNJTF, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO"
    },
    "Diplomatic representation in the US": {
      "chief of mission": {
        "text": "Ambassador (vacant); Charg&eacute; d'Affaires Oumar Noury ABDELKERIM (since 20 March 2023)"
      },
      "chancery": {
        "text": "2401 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008"
      },
      "telephone": {
        "text": "[1] (202) 652-1312"
      },
      "FAX": {
        "text": "[1] (202) 578-0431"
      },
      "email address and website": {
        "text": "<br>info@chadembassy.us<br><br>https://chadembassy.us/"
      }
    },
    "Diplomatic representation from the US": {
      "chief of mission": {
        "text": "Ambassador Alexander LASKARIS (since 18 August 2022)"
      },
      "embassy": {
        "text": "Rond-Point Chagoua, B.P. 413, N&rsquo;Djamena"
      },
      "mailing address": {
        "text": "2410 N'Djamena Place, Washington DC&nbsp; 20521-2410"
      },
      "telephone": {
        "text": "[235] 2251-5017"
      },
      "FAX": {
        "text": "[235] 2253-9102"
      },
      "email address and website": {
        "text": "<br>NdjamenaACS@state.gov<br><br>https://td.usembassy.gov/"
      }
    },
    "Flag description": {
      "text": "three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), gold, and red; the flag combines the blue and red French (former colonial) colors with the red and yellow (gold) of the Pan-African colors; blue symbolizes the sky, hope, and the south of the country, which is relatively well-watered; gold represents the sun, as well as the desert in the north of the country; red stands for progress, unity, and sacrifice",
      "note": "<strong>note:</strong> almost identical to the flag of Romania but with a darker shade of blue; also similar to the flags of Andorra and Moldova, both of which have a national coat of arms centered in the yellow band; design based on the flag of France"
    },
    "National symbol(s)": {
      "text": "goat (north), lion (south); national colors: blue, yellow, red"
    },
    "National anthem": {
      "name": {
        "text": "\"La Tchadienne\" (The Chadian)"
      },
      "lyrics/music": {
        "text": "Louis GIDROL and his students/Paul VILLARD"
      },
      "note": "<strong>note:</strong> adopted 1960"
    },
    "National heritage": {
      "total World Heritage Sites": {
        "text": "2 (1 natural, 1 mixed)"
      },
      "selected World Heritage Site locales": {
        "text": "Lakes of Ounianga (n); Ennedi Massif: Natural and Cultural Landscape (m)"
      }
    }
  },
  "Economy": {
    "Economic overview": {
      "text": "primarily oil-based economy, vulnerable to regional competition and international price shocks; increasing extreme poverty and minimal human capital capacities; one of the most environmentally disrupted economies; high maternal and infant mortality rates destabilizing labor force potentials"
    },
    "Real GDP (purchasing power parity)": {
      "Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2021": {
        "text": "$24.49 billion (2021 est.)"
      },
      "Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2020": {
        "text": "$24.787 billion (2020 est.)"
      },
      "Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2019": {
        "text": "$25.19 billion (2019 est.)"
      },
      "note": "<strong>note:</strong> data are in 2017 dollars"
    },
    "Real GDP growth rate": {
      "Real GDP growth rate 2021": {
        "text": "-1.2% (2021 est.)"
      },
      "Real GDP growth rate 2020": {
        "text": "-1.6% (2020 est.)"
      },
      "Real GDP growth rate 2019": {
        "text": "3.25% (2019 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Real GDP per capita": {
      "Real GDP per capita 2021": {
        "text": "$1,400 (2021 est.)"
      },
      "Real GDP per capita 2020": {
        "text": "$1,500 (2020 est.)"
      },
      "Real GDP per capita 2019": {
        "text": "$1,600 (2019 est.)"
      },
      "note": "<strong>note:</strong> data are in 2017 dollars"
    },
    "GDP (official exchange rate)": {
      "text": "$10.912 billion (2019 est.)"
    },
    "Inflation rate (consumer prices)": {
      "Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2021": {
        "text": "-0.77% (2021 est.)"
      },
      "Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2020": {
        "text": "4.46% (2020 est.)"
      },
      "Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2019": {
        "text": "-0.97% (2019 est.)"
      }
    },
    "GDP - composition, by sector of origin": {
      "agriculture": {
        "text": "52.3% (2017 est.)"
      },
      "industry": {
        "text": "14.7% (2017 est.)"
      },
      "services": {
        "text": "33.1% (2017 est.)"
      }
    },
    "GDP - composition, by end use": {
      "household consumption": {
        "text": "75.1% (2017 est.)"
      },
      "government consumption": {
        "text": "4.4% (2017 est.)"
      },
      "investment in fixed capital": {
        "text": "24.1% (2017 est.)"
      },
      "investment in inventories": {
        "text": "0.7% (2017 est.)"
      },
      "exports of goods and services": {
        "text": "35.1% (2017 est.)"
      },
      "imports of goods and services": {
        "text": "-39.4% (2017 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Agricultural products": {
      "text": "sorghum, groundnuts, millet, yams, cereals, sugar cane, beef, maize, cotton, cassava"
    },
    "Industries": {
      "text": "oil, cotton textiles, brewing, natron (sodium carbonate), soap, cigarettes, construction materials"
    },
    "Industrial production growth rate": {
      "text": "0.3% (2021 est.)"
    },
    "Labor force": {
      "text": "5.246 million (2021 est.)"
    },
    "Labor force - by occupation": {
      "agriculture": {
        "text": "80%"
      },
      "industry": {
        "text": "20% (2006 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Unemployment rate": {
      "Unemployment rate 2021": {
        "text": "1.88% (2021 est.)"
      },
      "Unemployment rate 2020": {
        "text": "1.74% (2020 est.)"
      },
      "Unemployment rate 2019": {
        "text": "1.12% (2019 est.)"
      },
      "note": "NA"
    },
    "Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)": {
      "total": {
        "text": "2.4%"
      },
      "male": {
        "text": "3.3%"
      },
      "female": {
        "text": "1.4% (2021 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Population below poverty line": {
      "text": "42.3% (2018 est.)"
    },
    "Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income": {
      "Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 2018": {
        "text": "37.5 (2018 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Household income or consumption by percentage share": {
      "lowest 10%": {
        "text": "2.6%"
      },
      "highest 10%": {
        "text": "30.8% (2003)"
      }
    },
    "Budget": {
      "revenues": {
        "text": "$2.29 billion (2020 est.)"
      },
      "expenditures": {
        "text": "$2.12 billion (2020 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)": {
      "text": "-1.5% (of GDP) (2017 est.)"
    },
    "Public debt": {
      "Public debt 2017": {
        "text": "52.5% of GDP (2017 est.)"
      },
      "Public debt 2016": {
        "text": "52.4% of GDP (2016 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Taxes and other revenues": {
      "text": "13.5% (of GDP) (2017 est.)"
    },
    "Fiscal year": {
      "text": "calendar year"
    },
    "Current account balance": {
      "Current account balance 2017": {
        "text": "-$558 million (2017 est.)"
      },
      "Current account balance 2016": {
        "text": "-$926 million (2016 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Exports": {
      "Exports 2017": {
        "text": "$2.464 billion (2017 est.)"
      },
      "Exports 2016": {
        "text": "$2.187 billion (2016 est.)"
      },
      "note": "<strong>note:</strong> Data are in current year dollars and do not include illicit exports or re-exports."
    },
    "Exports - partners": {
      "text": "China 32%, United Arab Emirates 21%, India 19%, United States 10%, France 6%, Germany 5% (2019)"
    },
    "Exports - commodities": {
      "text": "crude petroleum, gold, sesame seeds, gum arabic, silver (2021)"
    },
    "Imports": {
      "Imports 2017": {
        "text": "$2.16 billion (2017 est.)"
      },
      "Imports 2016": {
        "text": "$1.997 billion (2016 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Imports - partners": {
      "text": "China 29%, United Arab Emirates 16%, France 10%, United States 8%, India 5% (2019)"
    },
    "Imports - commodities": {
      "text": "delivery trucks, paints, packaged medicines, aircraft, broadcasting equipment (2019)"
    },
    "Reserves of foreign exchange and gold": {
      "Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 31 December 2019": {
        "text": "$310.032 million (31 December 2019 est.)"
      },
      "Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 31 December 2018": {
        "text": "$147.75 million (31 December 2018 est.)"
      },
      "Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 31 December 2017": {
        "text": "$8.575 million (31 December 2017 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Debt - external": {
      "Debt - external 31 December 2017": {
        "text": "$1.724 billion (31 December 2017 est.)"
      },
      "Debt - external 31 December 2016": {
        "text": "$1.281 billion (31 December 2016 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Exchange rates": {
      "Currency": {
        "text": "Cooperation Financiere en Afrique Centrale francs (XAF) per US dollar -"
      },
      "Exchange rates 2021": {
        "text": "554.531 (2021 est.)"
      },
      "Exchange rates 2020": {
        "text": "575.586 (2020 est.)"
      },
      "Exchange rates 2019": {
        "text": "585.911 (2019 est.)"
      },
      "Exchange rates 2018": {
        "text": "555.446 (2018 est.)"
      },
      "Exchange rates 2017": {
        "text": "580.657 (2017 est.)"
      }
    }
  },
  "Energy": {
    "Electricity access": {
      "population without electricity": {
        "text": "(2020) 15 million"
      },
      "electrification - total population": {
        "text": "11.2% (2021)"
      },
      "electrification - urban areas": {
        "text": "43.2% (2021)"
      },
      "electrification - rural areas": {
        "text": "1.3% (2021)"
      }
    },
    "Electricity": {
      "installed generating capacity": {
        "text": "87,000 kW (2020 est.)"
      },
      "consumption": {
        "text": "188.46 million kWh (2019 est.)"
      },
      "exports": {
        "text": "0 kWh (2019 est.)"
      },
      "imports": {
        "text": "0 kWh (2019 est.)"
      },
      "transmission/distribution losses": {
        "text": "111 million kWh (2019 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Electricity generation sources": {
      "fossil fuels": {
        "text": "96.8% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)"
      },
      "nuclear": {
        "text": "0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)"
      },
      "solar": {
        "text": "0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)"
      },
      "wind": {
        "text": "3.2% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)"
      },
      "hydroelectricity": {
        "text": "0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)"
      },
      "tide and wave": {
        "text": "0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)"
      },
      "geothermal": {
        "text": "0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)"
      },
      "biomass and waste": {
        "text": "0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Coal": {
      "production": {
        "text": "0 metric tons (2020 est.)"
      },
      "consumption": {
        "text": "0 metric tons (2020 est.)"
      },
      "exports": {
        "text": "0 metric tons (2020 est.)"
      },
      "imports": {
        "text": "0 metric tons (2020 est.)"
      },
      "proven reserves": {
        "text": "0 metric tons (2019 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Petroleum": {
      "total petroleum production": {
        "text": "87,900 bbl/day (2021 est.)"
      },
      "refined petroleum consumption": {
        "text": "12,600 bbl/day (2019 est.)"
      },
      "crude oil and lease condensate exports": {
        "text": "116,000 bbl/day (2018 est.)"
      },
      "crude oil and lease condensate imports": {
        "text": "0 bbl/day (2018 est.)"
      },
      "crude oil estimated reserves": {
        "text": "1.5 billion barrels (2021 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Refined petroleum products - production": {
      "text": "0 bbl/day (2015 est.)"
    },
    "Refined petroleum products - exports": {
      "text": "0 bbl/day (2015 est.)"
    },
    "Refined petroleum products - imports": {
      "text": "2,285 bbl/day (2015 est.)"
    },
    "Natural gas": {
      "production": {
        "text": "0 cubic meters (2021 est.)"
      },
      "consumption": {
        "text": "0 cubic meters (2021 est.)"
      },
      "exports": {
        "text": "0 cubic meters (2021 est.)"
      },
      "imports": {
        "text": "0 cubic meters (2021 est.)"
      },
      "proven reserves": {
        "text": "0 cubic meters (2021 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Carbon dioxide emissions": {
      "total emissions": {
        "text": "1.771 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)"
      },
      "from coal and metallurgical coke": {
        "text": "0 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)"
      },
      "from petroleum and other liquids": {
        "text": "1.771 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)"
      },
      "from consumed natural gas": {
        "text": "0 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Energy consumption per capita": {
      "Total energy consumption per capita 2019": {
        "text": "1.575 million Btu/person (2019 est.)"
      }
    }
  },
  "Communications": {
    "Telephones - fixed lines": {
      "total subscriptions": {
        "text": "5,300 (2021 est.)"
      },
      "subscriptions per 100 inhabitants": {
        "text": "(2021 est.) less than 1"
      }
    },
    "Telephones - mobile cellular": {
      "total subscriptions": {
        "text": "10 million (2021 est.)"
      },
      "subscriptions per 100 inhabitants": {
        "text": "60 (2021 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Telecommunication systems": {
      "general assessment": {
        "text": "the telecom infrastructure is particularly poor; fixed, mobile and internet is well below African averages; Chad&rsquo;s telecom market offers some potential for investors to develop services given the low starting base; the country&rsquo;s first 3G/LTE mobile license was awarded in April 2014; Chad finally gained access to international fiber bandwidth in 2012 its national backbone infrastructure remains underdeveloped; the World Bank-funded Central African Backbone (CAB) project takes in Chad, while the country is also party to a Trans-Saharan Backbone project which will link a fiber cable to Nigeria and Algeria (2022)"
      },
      "domestic": {
        "text": "fixed-line connections less than 1 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular subscribership base of about 60 per 100 persons (2021)"
      },
      "international": {
        "text": "country code - 235; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)"
      }
    },
    "Broadcast media": {
      "text": "1 state-owned TV station; 2 privately-owned TV stations; state-owned radio network, Radiodiffusion Nationale Tchadienne (RNT), operates national and regional stations; over 10 private radio stations; some stations rebroadcast programs from international broadcasters (2017)"
    },
    "Internet country code": {
      "text": ".td"
    },
    "Internet users": {
      "total": {
        "text": "3.06 million (2021 est.)"
      },
      "percent of population": {
        "text": "18% (2021 est.)"
      }
    }
  },
  "Transportation": {
    "National air transport system": {
      "number of registered air carriers": {
        "text": "2 (2020)"
      },
      "inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers": {
        "text": "3"
      }
    },
    "Civil aircraft registration country code prefix": {
      "text": "TT"
    },
    "Airports": {
      "text": "59 (2021)"
    },
    "Airports - with paved runways": {
      "text": "9",
      "note": "<strong>note:</strong> paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)"
    },
    "Airports - with unpaved runways": {
      "text": "50",
      "note": "<strong>note:</strong> unpaved runways have a surface composition such as grass or packed earth and are most suited to the operation of light aircraft; unpaved runways are usually short, often less than 1,000 m (3,280 ft.) in length; airports with unpaved runways often lack facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control"
    },
    "Pipelines": {
      "text": "582 km oil (2013)"
    },
    "Roadways": {
      "total": {
        "text": "40,000 km (2018)"
      },
      "note": "<strong>note:</strong> consists of 25,000 km of national and regional roads and 15,000 km of local roads; 206 km of urban roads are paved"
    },
    "Waterways": {
      "text": "12,400 km (2022) (Chari and Logone Rivers are navigable only in wet season) Chari is 11,400 km Legone is 1,000 km"
    }
  },
  "Military and Security": {
    "Military and security forces": {
      "text": "Chadian National Army (Armee Nationale du Tchad, ANT): Land Forces (l'Armee de Terre, AdT), Chadian Air Force (l'Armee de l'Air Tchadienne, AAT), General Direction of the Security Services of State Institutions (Direction Generale des Services de Securite des Institutions de l'Etat, GDSSIE); National Gendarmerie; Ministry of Public Security and Immigration: National Nomadic Guard of Chad (GNNT) (2023)",
      "note": "<strong>note 1:</strong> the GDSSIE, formerly known as the Republican Guard, is the presidential guard force and is considered to be Chad's elite military unit; it is reportedly a division-size unit with infantry, armor, and special forces/anti-terrorism regiments (known as the Special Anti-Terrorist Group or SATG, aka Division of Special Anti-Terrorist Groups or DGSAT)<br><br><strong>note 2:</strong> the Chadian National Police are under the Ministry of Security and Immigration; border security duties are shared by the Army, Customs (Ministry of Public Security and Immigration), the Gendarmerie, and the GNNT"
    },
    "Military expenditures": {
      "Military Expenditures 2022": {
        "text": "2.5% of GDP (2022 est.)"
      },
      "Military Expenditures 2021": {
        "text": "2.5% of GDP (2021 est.)"
      },
      "Military Expenditures 2020": {
        "text": "2.9% of GDP (2020 est.)"
      },
      "Military Expenditures 2019": {
        "text": "2% of GDP (2019 est.)"
      },
      "Military Expenditures 2018": {
        "text": "2% of GDP (2018 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Military and security service personnel strengths": {
      "text": "limited and varied information; estimated to have up to 35,000 active ANT personnel (25-30,000 Ground Forces; 300 Air Force; approximately 5,000 GDSSIE); approximately 5,000 National Gendarmerie; approximately 3,000 Nomadic Guard (2022)"
    },
    "Military equipment inventories and acquisitions": {
      "text": "the ANT is mostly armed with older or secondhand equipment from Belgium, France, Russia, and the former Soviet Union; in recent years it has received equipment, including donations, from other countries, including China, Turkey, and the US (2023)"
    },
    "Military service age and obligation": {
      "text": "20 is the legal minimum age for compulsory military service for men with an 18-36 month service obligation (information varies); women are subject to 12 months of compulsory military or civic service at age 21; 18-35 for voluntary service; soldiers released from active duty are in the reserves until the age of 50 (2023)"
    },
    "Military deployments": {
      "text": "1,450 Mali (MINUSMA) (May 2022)",
      "note": "<strong>note 1:</strong> Chad has committed approximately 1,000-1,500 troops to the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) against Boko Haram and other terrorist groups operating in the general area of the Lake Chad Basin and along Nigeria's northeast border; national MNJTF troop contingents are deployed within their own territories, although cross‐border operations are conducted periodically; in 2019, Chad sent more than 1,000 troops to Nigeria’s Borno State to fight Boko Haram as part of the MNJTF mission<br><br><strong>note 2: </strong>Chad is also part of a four (formerly five)-nation anti-jihadist task force known as the G4 Sahel Group, set up in 2014 with Chad, Mali (withdrew in 2022), Mauritania, and Niger; it has committed 550 troops and 100 gendarmes to the force; as of 2020, defense forces from each of the participating states were allowed to pursue terrorist fighters up to 100 km into neighboring countries; the force is backed by France, the UN, and the US"
    },
    "Military - note": {
      "text": "the ANT has considerable combat experience against insurgents and terrorist groups; it also has a tradition of deep involvement in domestic politics; over the past decade, the ANT has received substantial foreign military assistance, particularly from France, which maintains a military base in N’Djamena; the ANT's current operational focus is on counterterrorism and counterinsurgency operations; it is engaged with the Boko Haram and Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham in West Africa terrorist groups in the Lake Chad Basin area (primarily the Lac Province) and in the Sahel, particularly the tri-border area with Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger; in addition, the ANT conducts frequent operations against internal anti-government militias and armed dissident groups <br><br>several rebel groups operate in northern Chad from bases in southern Libya, including the FACT (Front pour le Changement et la Concorde au Tchad), the Military Command Council for the Salvation of the Republic le Conseil de Commandement Militaire pour le salut de la République or CCSMR), the Union of Forces for Democracy and Development (le Union des Forces pour la Démocratie et le Développement or UFDD), and the Union of Resistance Forces (le Union des Forces de la Résistance UFR); former Chadian President Idriss DEBY<strong> </strong>was killed in April 2021 during fighting in the northern part of the country between the FACT and the Chadian Army; some armed groups, including the UFDD and UFR, signed an accord in August 2022 in return for the release of prisoners, amnesty, and an end to hostilities between the Chadian Government and these armed factions; however, other armed groups, including the FACT and CCSMR, refused to join the accord (2023)"
    }
  },
  "Terrorism": {
    "Terrorist group(s)": {
      "text": "Boko Haram; Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham - West Africa (ISIS-WA)",
      "note": "<strong>note:</strong> details about the history, aims, leadership, organization, areas of operation, tactics, targets, weapons, size, and sources of support of the group(s) appear(s) in Appendix-T"
    }
  },
  "Transnational Issues": {
    "Disputes - international": {
      "text": "<p>since 2003, ad hoc armed militia groups and the Sudanese military have driven hundreds of thousands of Darfur residents into Chad; Chad wishes to be a helpful mediator in resolving the Darfur conflict, and in 2010 established a joint border monitoring force with Sudan, which has helped to reduce cross-border banditry and violence; only Nigeria and Cameroon have heeded the Lake Chad Commission's admonition to ratify the delimitation treaty, which also includes the Chad-Niger and Niger-Nigeria boundaries</p>"
    },
    "Refugees and internally displaced persons": {
      "refugees (country of origin)": {
        "text": "192,473 (Sudan) (includes refugees since 15 April 2023), 127,934 (Central African Republic), 26,552 (Cameroon), 20,974 (Nigeria) (2023)"
      },
      "IDPs": {
        "text": "381,289 (majority are in the east) (2023)"
      }
    },
    "Trafficking in persons": {
      "tier rating": {
        "text": "Tier 2 Watch List &mdash; Chad does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so; officials investigated trafficking cases and finalized a National Action Plan for 2021-2022 and began implementation of standard operating procedures and a National Referral Mechanism for identifying and referring victims for care; however, the government did not demonstrate overall increased efforts to increase anti-trafficking capacity; government turnover hindered Chad&rsquo;s ability to maintain consistent anti-trafficking efforts and reporting; authorities did not report prosecuting or convicting any traffickers, identifying victims, or conducting awareness campaigns; nonetheless, because the government has devoted sufficient resources to a written plan that, if implemented, would constitute significant efforts to meet the minimum standards, Chad was granted a waiver per the TVPA from downgrade to Tier 3; therefore, Chad remained on Tier 2 Watch List for the third consecutive year (2022)"
      },
      "trafficking profile": {
        "text": "human traffickers exploit domestic and foreign victims in Chad, and traffickers exploit Chadian victims abroad; most trafficking is internal; some children are sent by their parents to relatives or intermediaries to receive education, an apprenticeship, goods, or money and are then forced to work in domestic service or cattle herding; children are also forced to work in agriculture, gold mines, charcoal vending, and fishing, and those attending Koranic schools are forced into begging and street vending; girls from rural areas who search for work in larger towns are exploited in sex trafficking and domestic servitude; terrorist groups abduct children to serve as soldiers, suicide bombers, brides, and forced laborers (2022)"
      }
    },
    "Illicit drugs": {
      "text": "NA"
    }
  }
}