Chad has experienced frequent conflict since the end of French colonial rule in 1960 Much of it has resulted from tensions between the mostly Muslim north and the Christian south. A civil war broke out in 1965, as northern rebels fought against the authoritarian rule of François Tombalbahye, a southerner who had marginalized the rest of the country. Despite French and Libyan interventions, fighting continued even after Tombalbahye was killed by his own gendarmes in a coup The war ended in 1979 but without a resolution of the issues that caused it in the first place.
The end of the civil conflict did not bring peace to Chad. The war ended with the establishment of a transitional unity government, attempting to reconcile northern and southern factions. Despite this, tensions remained, and renewed fighting broke out after less than a year, with the regime of Hissène Habré brutally repressing dissent. Libya intervened again, and would continue to do so as Muammar Gadafi claimed a disputed territory known as the Aouzou strip. This conflict led to the end of the civil war, as the different sides united to expel Libyan troops in what became known as the Toyota War. Fighting ended in 1987 with a ceasefire, and the dispute over the Aouzou strip ended in 1994 with a decision by the International Court of Justice, followed by the peaceful withdrawal of Libyan troops. Habré was overthrown in a 1990 coup by his former ally Idriss Déby, who took power.
Over the next two decades, Déby won elections seen as unfair by the international community, and in 2006 he changed the constitution to allow himself to keep running for president. This move provoked anger from some of his former allies, who began a rebellion backed by Sudan. Thousands were killed and hundreds of thousands were displaced by this conflict, which lasted until 2010, when a peace agreement was signed between Sudan and Chad. Sporadic fighting continued to break out, although full-scale conflict had ceased. In 2021, a Libya-based rebel group launched an attack on the north of the country, following Déby’s victory in another disputed election. Déby was killed fighting this latest rebellion, and was succeeded by his son, Mahamat Déby, and a transitional military council. The rebellion was defeated, but several anti-military protestors were killed in the capital, N’Djaména
Peace efforts:
The war with Libya ended in 1987 with a peace agreement that was relatively successful. Both countries agreed to respect the decision of the International Court of Justice regarding the territory. When it was awarded to Chad, both sides cooperated, and Libyan troops left the territory. A similar situation took place in 2010 to end that conflict as well. Sudan had been attempting to overthrow Déby for years, and strongly supported rebel groups. Neither side could win a complete military victory, and in 2010 the two rivals signed a peace agreement, which resulted in the restoration of peaceful relations, and reciprocal visits of both heads of state. Despite the long history of violence and foreign intervention in the country, peace has always been possible when the government and military are willing to pursue it. However, most conflicts, including the 2021 rebellion, have provoked a militarized response, although it appears that Chad has entered a relatively peaceful, albeit still authoritarian, period.
