History of Chad Timeline

The radical Chadian Progressive Party (PPT) was founded in February 1947, initially headed by Panamanian-born Gabriel Lisette, but from 1959 headed by François Tombalbaye.

Image source: Chadian Progressive Party

The more conservative Chadian Democratic Union (UDT) was founded in November 1947 and represented French commercial interests and traditional Muslim and Ouaddaïan nobility leaders.

Image source: Chadian Democratic Union

The PPT won the May 1957 pre-independence elections thanks to a greatly expanded franchise, and Lisette led the Territorial Assembly government until losing a confidence vote on February 11, 1959.

Image source: Gabriel Lisette

After a referendum on territorial autonomy on September 28, 1958, French Equatorial Africa was dissolved, and Chad became an autonomous member of the French Community from November 28, 1958.

Image source: French Community

Following Lisette's fall in February 1959, opposition leaders could not form a stable government, so the PPT formed an administration under François Tombalbaye on March 26, 1959.

Image source: François Tombalbaye

On July 12, 1960, France agreed to Chad becoming fully independent, paving the way for sovereignty later that year.

On August 11, 1960, Chad became an independent country and François Tombalbaye became its first president.

Image source: Chad

Already in January 1962 Tombalbaye banned all political parties except his own PPT and started concentrating all power in his own hands.

Resentment at Tombalbaye's rule exploded in a tax revolt on September 2, 1965, in the Guéra Prefecture, causing 500 deaths.

As a consequence of growing unrest, on April 13, 1975, several units of N'Djamena's gendarmerie killed Tombalbaye during a coup.

Unable to cope with FROLINAT, Malloum allied himself with insurgent leader Hissène Habré in 1978, who entered the government as prime minister.

Image source: Hissène Habré

Internal dissent within the government led Prime Minister Habré to send his forces against Malloum's national army in the capital in February 1979.

At the fourth conference, held in Lagos, Nigeria, in August 1979, the Lagos Accord was signed in an attempt to resolve the Chadian Civil War.

In November 1979, the Transitional Government of National Unity (GUNT) was created with a mandate to govern for 18 months.

The coalition proved fragile; in January 1980, fighting broke out again between Goukouni's and Habré's forces.

Image source: Chadian–Libyan War

Goukouni's January 1981 statement that Chad and Libya had agreed to work for complete unity between the two countries generated intense international pressure and his subsequent call for withdrawal of external forces.

Rebel commando groups (Codos) in southern Chad were broken up by government massacres in 1984.

In September 1984, the French and the Libyan governments announced an agreement for the mutual withdrawal of their forces from Chad.

Image source: Operation Manta

In 1985 Habré briefly reconciled with some of his opponents, including the Democratic Front of Chad (FDT) and the Coordinating Action Committee of the Democratic Revolutionary Council.

A cease-fire between Chad and Libya held from 1987 to 1988, and negotiations led to the 1994 International Court of Justice decision granting Chad sovereignty over the Aouzou strip, ending Libyan occupation.

Image source: Aouzou Strip

In April 1989, Idriss Déby, one of Habré's leading generals and a Zaghawa, defected and fled to Darfur in Sudan, from which he mounted attacks on Habré.

Image source: Idriss Déby

In December 1990, with Libyan assistance and no opposition from French troops stationed in Chad, Déby's forces successfully marched on N'Djamena.

Two new groups, the Armed Forces for a Federal Republic (FARF) led by Laokein Barde and the Democratic Front for Renewal (FDR), and a reformulated MDD clashed with government forces from 1994 to 1995.

Image source: Nigerian Armed Forces

Agreements were struck with rebels from the National Front of Chad (FNT) and Movement for Social Justice and Democracy in October 1997.

Peace was short-lived, as FARF rebels clashed with government soldiers, finally surrendering to government forces in May 1998.

Since October 1998 MDJT rebels, led by Youssuf Togoimi until his death in September 2002, skirmished with government troops in the Tibesti region, causing hundreds of casualties but little ground won or lost.

Kette Moise mounted a small-scale local operation near Moundou which was quickly and violently suppressed by government forces in late 2000.

Image source: Moundou

The civil war started on December 23, 2005, when the government of Chad declared a state of war with Sudan over RDL militants backed by Khartoum and Sudanese militiamen.

Image source: Chadian Civil War (2005–2010)

An attack on N'Djamena was defeated on April 13, 2006, in the Battle of N'Djamena.

On November 25, 2006, rebels captured the eastern town of Abeche, capital of the Ouaddaï Region and center for humanitarian aid to Darfur.

Image source: Abéché

On November 26, 2006, the Chadian government claimed to have recaptured both towns, although rebels still claimed control of Biltine.

On Friday, February 1, 2008, rebels — an alliance of Mahamat Nouri and Timane Erdimi, a nephew of Idriss Déby — attacked the capital Ndjamena, even surrounding the Presidential Palace.

In August 2018, rebel fighters of the Military Command Council for the Salvation of the Republic (CCMSR) attacked government forces in northern Chad.

Image source: Military Command Council for the Salvation of the Republic

Earlier French demands resulted in the gathering of 750 delegates representing political parties (legalized in 1992), the government, trade unions and the army to discuss creating a pluralist democratic regime.

After three months of provisional government, Déby's Patriotic Salvation Movement (MPS) approved a national charter on February 28, 1991, with Déby as president.

The CSNPD, led by Kette Moise, and other southern groups entered into a peace agreement with government forces in 1994, which later broke down.

Talks with political opponents in early 1996 did not go well, but Déby announced his intent to hold presidential elections in June.

Déby won the country's first multi-party presidential elections with support in the second round from opposition leader Kebzabo, defeating General Kamougue, leader of the 1975 coup against Tombalbaye.

Déby's MPS party won 63 of 125 seats in the January 1997 legislative elections.

Oil exploitation in the southern Doba region began in June 2000, with World Bank approval to finance part of the Chad-Cameroon Petroleum Development Project, transporting crude through a 1000-km pipeline to the Gulf of Guinea.

Debt relief was accorded to Chad in May 2001, easing the country's economic burdens.

Image source: Economy of Chad

Déby won a flawed 63% first-round victory in May 2001 presidential elections after legislative elections were postponed until spring 2002.

In 2003 Chad began receiving refugees from the Darfur region of western Sudan, straining resources along its eastern border.

Image source: Sudanese refugee crisis

Chad became an oil producer in 2003, transforming its economy through petroleum exports via the Chad-Cameroon pipeline.

Image source: Petroleum industry in Chad

In 2006, when the civil war escalated, Chad abandoned previous World Bank-sponsored economic plans and added "national security" as a priority development sector, using funds to improve the military.

The 97 children were taken from their homes in October 2007 by the French charity Zoé's Ark, which claimed they were Darfur orphans. Nearly 100 children returned home after nearly five months on March 14, 2008.

In 2013, Chad sent 2000 men from its military to help France in Operation Serval during the Mali War.

Image source: Operation Serval

Later in 2013 Chad sent 850 troops to the Central African Republic for the MISCA peacekeeping operation; they withdrew in April 2014 after allegations of human rights violations.

Image source: MISCA

In January 2019, after 47 years, Chad restored diplomatic relations with Israel.

Image source: Chad–Israel relations

In April 2021 Chad's army announced that President Idriss Déby had died of his injuries following clashes with rebels in the north. He had ruled the country for more than 30 years since 1990.

On May 23, 2024, Mahamat Idriss Déby was sworn in as President of Chad, continuing his family's hold on power.

Image source: Mahamat Déby