Brief History of Chad and the war on terror

Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham and Boko Haram in Chad over the past decade has killed an estimated 30,000 people.

Chad suffered three decades of civil warfare

The Republic of Chad is 495,800 sq miles or 317 million acres in area with a little less than 2 people living per mile, its Capital is N'Djamena and is largely semi-desert country rich in gold and uranium. The Republic of Chad is located in Central Africa and is Africa's fifth-largest nation with a population of 12.4 million.

During a ten year span from 1883 - 1893, Sudanese Rabih al-Zubayr conquers the African kingdoms of Ouadai, Baguirmi and Kanem-Bornu were located in present day Chad.

A gradual process of introducing Islam into Chad took place in the 16th and 17th centuries during the kingdoms of the Bagirmi and Ouaddai. In the 1880s, Chad was conquered by the Sudanese warlord Rabih al-Zubair.

Chad was first defined as a national territory in 1910, as one of the four making up French Equatorial Africa. Chad was a part of France's African assets until 1960. Chad suffered three decades of civil warfare, before a shaky balance was restored in 1990. In 1998, an ongoing rebellion in northern Chad, until the government eventually drafted a democratic constitution and held presidential elections in 1996 and 2001.

In June 2005 fighting with Sudan began while President of Chad Idriss Deby held a referendum successfully removing constitutional term limits and won another controversial election in 2006. Deby in 2011 was re-elected to his fourth term. N'Djamena, the capital of Chad experienced combat from Sudan in 2007- 2008, but fighting is at a standstill in part due to Chad and Sudan January 2010 agreement to prevent other armed groups from using any land in their counties to fight against the other. The agreement also states that Chad and Sudan will establish policies and procedures to jointly monitor and patrol their common border.

Major languages spoken in Chad are French and Arabic. Chad is 50% Muslim, 35% Christian, 15% animist and other and is characterized has having an Arab-Muslim North region and Christian South region. The average household income in Chad is $1,940 per person making Chad a lower middle-income African country according the World Bank Standards.

Learn more about the war on terror inside Chad.

Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham
Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS) want to implement ISIS's strict interpretation of Sharia; replace the Government with an Islamic state. They are based primarily in Northeast Nigeria along the border with Niger, with its largest presence in northeast Nigeria and the Lake Chad region targeting civilians and military persons.

Boko Haram
Boko Haram wants to establish an Islamic caliphate across Africa, they conduct kidnappings, bombings, and assaults, including in the capital of Chad, N'Djamena. Boko Haram violently opposes any political or social activity associated with Western society, including voting, attending secular schools, and wearing Western dress. The Nigerian based Boko Haram insurgency has been plaguing the country since 2009, the armed group dramatically stepped up its campaign of violence capturing large areas of territory, displacing many tens of thousands of people.

Chadian troops
The military of Chad consists of the National Army Republican Guard, Rapid Intervention Force, Police, and National and Nomadic Guard. Chadian soldiers are part of the G5 Sahel Force, a US-trained West African task force deployed to counter Boko Haram. The violence over the past decade has killed an estimated 30,000 people and forced about two million to leave their homes. Assailants usually crossover from neighboring Niger and Nigeria before launching attacks against Chad's military and citizens. Boko Haram has been fighting for a decade to carve an Islamic caliphate out of northeast Nigeria, and has carried out regular raids over loosely guarded frontiers into neighboring Chad, Niger and Cameroon.