Chad after Live Aid

Chad, Africa's fifth-largest nation, is largely semi-desert country. Although rich in gold, uranium and oil, poverty in Chad is rife, and health and social conditions compare unfavourably with those elsewhere in the region. Agriculture provides employment for 80% of the country’s labour force; cotton and livestock being the two most important products.

Chad's post-independence history has been marked by instability and violence arising from tensions between different religious and ethnic factions, further fuelled by interference from neighbouring states.

Over the past decade, despite increasing oil revenues, the trickle down effect to those in greatest need has been slow, with the government favouring 'white elephant' projects such as building roads, universities and sports facilities. The lack of effective development means that Chad remains with a very low rank on the latest Human Development Index; 184th out of 187 countries. SOS Children have been involved in Chad since 1988, and, although the relationship has been difficult, works hard to help some of the country's poorest children and young people. 

Find out how you can help a child in Chad... 

Time Line

• 1960 Chad becomes independent with a southern Christian, Francois Tombalbaye, as president.

• 1963 The banning of political parties triggers violent opposition in the Muslim north, led by the Chadian National Liberation Front. 

• 1966 Northern revolt develops into a fully-fledged guerrilla war.

• 1973 French troops help put down the northern revolt

• 1975 Tombalbaye is deposed and killed in a coup led by another southern Christian, Felix Malloum.

• 1979 Malloum forced to flee the country; a coalition government headed by a Muslim northerner, Goukouni Oueddei, assumes power. 

• 1982 Habre's troops capture the capital, N'Djamena.

• 1988 SOS Children and Chad's government begin talks about building a Children's Village in the country. Difficulties arise due to differences in opinion and the project stalls.
  

• 1990 Habre toppled after his army is defeated by rebels of the Sudan-based and Libyan-backed Patriotic Salvation Movement

• 1996 Deby wins Chad's first multiparty presidential election. Negotiations between the government and SOS Children resume.
  

• 1998 The Movement for Democracy and Justice in Chad (MDJC), led by Deby's former Defence Minister, Youssouf Togoimi, begins armed rebellion against the government.

• 2001 In the presidential election, Deby re-elected. He urges MDJC rebels to end their revolt, amid continuing heavy fighting with government troops

• 2002 MDJT sign peace deal to end three-year civil war. Soon after MDJT rebels and government forces clash in the north, killing 64. The government finally signs an agreement with SOS Children.
  

• 2003 National Resistance Army (ANR) and government sign peace agreement. Oil production starts. A plot of land is made available for the future SOS Children's Village; construction begins.
  

• 2005 Chad’s first SOS Children's Village in N'Djamena is completed. It houses a Nursery, Primary School and Medical Centre.
  

• 2006 President Deby is declared the winner of presidential elections. The main opposition parties boycott the poll. State of emergency imposed in eastern areas bordering Sudan's Darfur region after a spate of ethnic violence.

• 2009 UN accuses Sudan of supporting Chad's URF rebels with arms and ammunition.

  

  Sahel Emergency Appeal: A young person with a bowl of food

  
  

• 2010 Chad and other countries in Sahel region gripped by food crisis. Cholera outbreak kills over 40 people and flooding kills at least 24 people, leaving 70,000 homeless. Experts meet to discuss how to protect Lake Chad, which has shrunk dramatically over the past 50 years.
  

• 2011 Lack of rain and diminished harvesting caused severe food shortage. In the presidential election, which is boycotted by opposition, President Idriss Deby is declared winner.

• 2012 A wild strain of polio manages to re-establish itself. The government shows its commitment to fighting the outbreak.
  

• 2013 Former leader Hissene Habre is arrested in Senegal. Investigators seek to put him on trial for crimes against humanity. The latest Human Development Report shows that in spite of oil wealth, Chad is failing to develop satisfactorily; the literacy rate is 34% and infant mortality is  very high at 169 deaths per 1,000 live births.