Chad,part of france'sAfrican holdingsuntil 1960, endured three decades of civil warfare as well as invasions by Libyabefore a semblance of peace was finally restored in 1990.The Govt. eventually drafted a democratic constitution, and held flawedpresidential electionsin 1996 and 2001. In 1998, a rebillion broke out in northern Chad, which sporadically flares up despite several peace agreements between the government and the rebels. In 2005 new rebel groups emerged in western Sudan and have made probing attacks into eastern Chad. Power remains in the hands of an ethnic minority. In 2005, President Idris Debyhel a referendom successfully removing constitutional term limits.
Economy:
Chad is a largely semi-desert country, with gold and uranium and stands to benefit from its recently acquired status as an oil-exporting state. It is fifth largest nation suffers from inadequate infrastructure and internal conflict. Poverty, health and social conditions are unfavourable.
It is primarily a agricultural economy based country to be boosted by major foreign direct investment projects in the oil sector that began in 2000. Over 80 %of Chad's populationrelies on subsistense farming and livestock raising for its livelyhood.
A consortium led by two US companies has been investing $3.7 billion to develop oil reserves - estimated to be 2 billion baralls . Chad began to export oil in 2004. Cotton, cattle, and gum arabic provide the bulk of Chad's non-oil export earnings.
Chadian natural resources include petroleum,uranium,natron, kaolin, fish (lake chad),gold, limestone, sand and gravel, salt.
Travel advice on Chad ;
This advice has been reviewed ande reissued with amendments to the summary, Political situationand local travel sections and minor revisions to the health section. We now advise against all but essential travel to N'Djamena, and continue to advise against all travel to the rest of Chad. We continue to advise those in eastern Chad and in the areas near the borders with Sudan and the Central African republic to consider leaving.
