Geography
Area: 1,284,634 sq. km. (496,000 sq. mi.); about twice the size of Texas.
Cities: Capital--N'Djamena (pop. 1 million est.). Other major cities--Moundou, Abeche, Sarh.
Terrain: Desert, mountainous north, large arid central plain, fertile lowlands in extreme southern regions.
Climate:
Northern desert--very dry throughout the year; central plain--hot and
dry, with brief rainy season mid-June to mid-September; southern
lowlands--warm and more humid with seasonal rains from late May to
early October.

People
Nationality: Noun and adjective--Chadian(s).
Population (2004 est.): 9.5 million.
Annual growth rate (2004 est.): 3 %.
Density: 6.6 per sq. km. (17 per sq. mi.).
Ethnic
groups: 200 distinct groups. In the north and center, Gorane (Toubou,
Daza, Kreda), Zaghawa, Kanembou, Ouaddai, Arabs, Baguirmi, Hadjerai,
Fulbe, Kotoko, Hausa, Boulala, and Maba, most of whom are Muslim. In
the south, Sara (Ngambaye, Mbaye, Goulaye), Moudang, Moussei, Massa,
most of whom are Christian or animist. About 1,000 French citizens live
in Chad.
Religions: Muslim 51%, Christian 35%, animist 7%, other indigenous beliefs 7%.
Languages: French and Arabic (official); Sara (in the south), more than 120 indigenous Chadian languages and dialects.
Education: Years compulsory--6. Attendance--primary school 68% (1998); secondary school 5.5% (1995); higher education n/a. Literacy (2003 est.)--48%.
Health: Life expectancy (2004 est.)--48. Infant mortality rate (2004 est.)--95/1,000.
Work force (approximately 48% of population): Agriculture--more than 80%; largely subsistence agriculture.

Government
Type: Republic.
Independence: August 11, 1960 (from France).
Branches: Executive--president (head of state), prime minister, Council of Ministers. Legislative--National Assembly (unicameral) Judicial--Supreme
Court; Court of Appeals; criminal courts; magistrate courts president
(head of state, president of the council of ministers), council of
ministers.
Major political parties: About 60, of which Patriotic
Salvation Movement (MPS) is dominant. Other major parties include the
Federation Action for the Republic (FAR); Party for Liberty and
Development (PLD); Rally for Development and Progress (RNDP); Union for
Democracy and the Republic (UDR); National Union for Development and
Renewal (UNDR); Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP); Viva Rally for
Development and Progress, or Viva RNDP.
Suffrage: Universal over 18.
Administrative subdivisions: 18 regions.

Economy
GDP (2003): $2.65 billion.
Per capita income (2003): $237.
Natural resources: Petroleum, natron (sodium carbonate), kaolin, gold, bauxite, tin, tungsten, titanium, iron ore.
Agriculture (2001 est, 38% of GDP): Products--cotton,
gum arabic, livestock, fish, peanuts, millet, sorghum, rice, sweet
potatoes, cassava, dates, manioc. Arable land-- 30%.
Industry (2001 est, 13% of GDP): Types—meat-packing, beer brewing, soap, cigarettes, construction materials, natron mining, soft-drink bottling.
Services (2001 est): 49% of GDP.
Trade: Exports--$ $365 million (f.o.b., 2003 est.): oil, cotton, livestock, gum arabic. Major markets

(1999)--Portugal, Germany, Thailand, Costa Rica, South Africa, France,
Nigeria, Cameroon. Imports--$760million (f.o.b., 2003 est.): petroleum
products, machinery and transportation equipment, foodstuffs,
industrial goods, textiles. Major suppliers (2004)-- U.S., France, Cameroon, Nigeria.
Central government budget (2002): Revenues--$161 million. Expenditures--$611 million.
Defense (2002): $31 million.
National holiday: Independence Day, August 11.
Fiscal year: Calendar year.
U.S. aid received (2001): Economic, food relief--$238 million from all sources, (including $30 million committed by African Development Bank.

GEOGRAPHY
Chad
is a landlocked country in north central Africa measuring 1,284,000
square kilometers (496,000 sq. mi.), roughly three times the size of
California. Most of its ethnically and linguistically diverse
population lives in the south, with densities ranging from 54 persons
per square kilometers in the Logone River basin to 0.1 persons in the
northern B.E.T. desert region, which is larger than France. The capital
city of N’Djaména, situated at the confluence of the Chari and Logone
Rivers, is cosmopolitan in nature, with a current population nearing
one million people.

Chad has four bioclimatic zones. The
northernmost Saharan zone averages less than 200 mm (8") of rainfall
annually. The sparse human population is largely nomadic, with some
livestock, mostly small ruminants and camels. The central Sahelian zone
receives between 200 and 600 mm (24") rainfall and has vegetation
ranging from grass/shrub steppe to thorny, open savanna. The southern
zone, often referred to as the Sudanian zone, receives between 600 and
1,000 mm (39"), with woodland savanna and deciduous forests for
vegetation. Rainfall in the Guinea zone, located in Chad’s southwestern
tip, ranges between 1,000 and 1,200 mm (47").

The country’s topography is generally
flat, with the elevation gradually rising as one moves north and east
away from Lake Chad. The highest point in Chad is Emi Koussi, a
mountain that rises 3,100 meters (10,200 ft.) in the northern Tibesti
Mountains. The Ennedi Plateau and the Ouaddaï highlands in the east
complete the image of a gradually sloping basin, which descends toward
Lake Chad. There also are central highlands in the Guera region rising
to 1,500 meters (4,900 ft.).

Lake Chad is the second-largest lake in
West Africa and is one of the most important wetlands on the continent.
Home to 120 species of fish and at least that many species of birds,
the lake has shrunk dramatically in the last four decades due to the
increased water use and low rainfall. Bordered by Chad, Niger, Nigeria,
and Cameroon, Lake Chad currently covers only 1,350 square kilometers,
down from 25,000 square kilometers in 1963. The Chari and Logone
Rivers, both of which originate in the Central African Republic and
flow northward, provide most of the water entering Lake Chad.

PEOPLE
There
are more than 200 ethnic groups in Chad. Those in the north and east
are generally Muslim; most southerners are Christians or animists.
Through their long religious and commercial relationships with Sudan
and Egypt, many of the peoples in Chad's eastern and central regions
have become more or less Arabized, speaking Arabic and engaging in many
other Arab cultural practices as well. More than three-quarters of the
Chadian population is rural.

HISTORY
Chad
has a long and rich history. A humanoid skull found in Borkou was dated
to be more than 3 million years old. Because in ancient times the
Saharan area was not totally arid, Chad's population was more evenly
distributed than it is today. For example, 7,000 years ago, the north
central basin, now in the Sahara, was still filled with water, and
people lived and farmed around its shores. Cliff paintings in Borkou
and Ennedi depict elephants, rhinoceroses, giraffes, cattle, and
camels; only camels survive there today. The region has been known to
traders and geographers since the late Middle Ages. Since then, Chad
has served as a crossroads for the Muslim peoples of the desert and
savanna regions, and the animist Bantu tribes of the tropical forests.

Sao people lived along the Chari River
for thousands of years, but their relatively weak chiefdoms were
overtaken by the powerful chiefs of what were to become the Kanem-Bornu
and Baguirmi kingdoms. At their peak, these two kingdoms and the
kingdom of Ouaddai controlled a good part of what is now Chad, as well
as parts of Nigeria and Sudan. From 1500 to 1900, Arab slave raids were
widespread. The French first penetrated Chad in 1891, establishing
their authority through military expeditions primarily against the
Muslim kingdoms. The first major colonial battle for Chad was fought in
1900 between the French Major Lamy and the African leader Rabah, both
of whom were killed in the battle. Although the French won that battle,
they did not declare the territory pacified until 1911; armed clashes
between colonial troops and local bands continued for many years
thereafter.

In 1905, administrative responsibility
for Chad was placed under a governor general stationed at Brazzaville
in what is now Congo. Although Chad joined the French colonies of
Gabon, Oubangui-Charo, and Moyen Congo to form the Federation of French
Equatorial Africa (AEF) in 1910, it did not have colonial status until
1920. The northern region of Chad was occupied by the French in 1914.
In 1959, the territory of French Equatorial Africa was dissolved, and
four states--Gabon, the Central African Republic, Congo (Brazzaville),
and Chad--became autonomous members of the French Community. On August
11, 1960 Chad became an independent nation under its first president,
Francois Tombalbaye.

A long civil war began as a tax revolt
in 1965 and soon set the Muslim north and east against the southern-led
government. Even with the help of French combat forces, the Tombalbaye
government was never able to quell the insurgency. Tombalbaye's rule
became more irrational and brutal, leading the military to carry out a
coup in 1975 and to install Gen. Felix Malloum, a southerner, as head
of state. In 1978, Malloum's government was broadened to include more
northerners. Internal dissent within the government led the northern
prime minister, Hissein Habre, to send his forces against the national
army in the capital city of N'Djamena in February 1979. The resulting
civil war amongst the 11 emergent factions was so widespread that it
rendered the central government largely irrelevant. At that point,
other African governments decided to intervene.

A series of four international
conferences held first under Nigerian and then Organization of African
Unity (OAU) sponsorship attempted to bring the Chadian factions
together. At the fourth conference, held in Lagos, Nigeria, in August
1979, the Lagos accord was signed. This accord established a
transitional government pending national elections. In November 1979,
the National Union Transition Government (GUNT) was created with a
mandate to govern for 18 months. Goukouni Oueddei, a northerner, was
named President; Colonel Kamougue, a southerner, Vice President; and
Habre, Minister of Defense. This coalition proved fragile; in January
1980, fighting broke out again between Goukouni's and Habre's forces.
With assistance from Libya, Goukouni regained control of the capital
and other urban centers by year’s end. However, Goukouni’s January 1981
statement that Chad and Libya had agreed to work for the realization of
complete unity between the two countries generated intense
international pressure and Goukouni’s subsequent call for the complete
withdrawal of external forces. Libya’s partial withdrawal to the Aozou
Strip in northern Chad cleared the way for Habre’s forces to enter
N’Djamena in June. French troops and an OAU peacekeeping force of 3,500
Nigerian, Senegalese, and Zairian troops (partially funded by the
United States) remained neutral during the conflict.

Habre continued to face armed opposition
on various fronts, and was brutal in his repression of suspected
opponents, massacring and torturing many during his rule. In the summer
of 1983, GUNT forces launched an offensive against government positions
in northern and eastern Chad with Libyan support. In response to
Libya's direct intervention, French and Zairian forces intervened to
defend Habre, pushing Libyan and rebel forces north of the 16th
parallel. In September 1984, the French and the Libyan governments
announced an agreement for the mutual withdrawal of their forces from
Chad. By the end of the year, all French and Zairian troops were
withdrawn. Libya did not honor the withdrawal accord, and its forces
continued to occupy the northern third of Chad.

Southern rebel commando groups (CODO) in
southern Chad were broken up by government massacres in 1984. In 1985
Habre briefly reconciled with some of his most powerful opponents,
including the Chadian Democratic Front and the Coordinating Action
Committee of the Democratic Revolutionary Council. Goukouni also began
to rally toward Habre, and with his support Habre successfully expelled
Libyan forces from most of Chadian territory. A cease-fire between Chad
and Libya held from 1987 to 1988, and negotiations over the next
several years led to the 1994 International Court of Justice decision
granting Chad sovereignty over the Aouzou strip, effectively ending
Libyan occupation.

However, rivalry between Hadjerai,
Zaghawa, and Gorane groups within the government grew in the late
1980s. In April 1989, Idriss Deby, one of Habre's leading generals and
a Zaghawa, defected and fled to Darfur in Sudan, from which he mounted
a Zaghawa-supported series of attacks on Habre (a Gorane). In December
1990, with Libyan assistance and no opposition from French troops
stationed in Chad, Deby’s forces successfully marched on N’Djamena.
After 3 months of provisional government, Deby’s Patriotic Salvation
Movement (MPS) approved a national charter on February 28, 1991, with
Deby as president.

In the following 2 years, Deby faced at
least two coup attempts. Government forces clashed violently with rebel
forces (including the Movement for Democracy and Development, MDD,
National Revival Committee for Peace and Democracy (CSNPD), Chadian
national Front (FNT), and the Western Armed Forces, FAO) near Lake Chad
and in southern regions of the country. Earlier French demands for the
country to hold a national conference resulted in the gathering of 750
delegates representing political parties (legalized in 1992), the
government, trade unions, and the army to discuss creation of a
pluralist democratic regime.

Unrest continued, however, sparked in
part by large-scale killings of civilians in southern Chad. The CSNPD,
led by Kette Moise and other southern groups, entered into a peace
agreement with government forces in 1994, which later broke down. Two
new groups, the Armed Forces for a Federal Republic (FARF) led by
former Kette ally Laokein Barde and the Democratic Front for Renewal
(FDR), and a reformulated MDD clashed with government forces 1994-95.

Talks with political opponents in early
1996 did not go well, but Deby announced his intent to hold
presidential elections in June. Deby 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). Deby’s MPS party won 63 of 125 seats
in the January 1997 legislative elections. International observers
noted numerous serious irregularities in presidential and legislative
election proceedings.

By mid-1997 the government signed peace
deals with FARF and the MDD leadership and succeeded in cutting off the
groups from their rear bases in the Central African Republic and
Cameroon. Agreements also were struck with rebels from the National
Front of Chad (FNT) and Movement for Social Justice and Democracy in
October 1997. However, peace was short-lived, as FARF rebels clashed
with government soldiers, finally surrendering to government forces in
May 1998. Barde was killed in the fighting, as were hundreds of other
southerners, most civilians.

From 1998 to 2003, Chadian Movement for
Justice and Democracy (MDJT) rebels skirmished periodically with
government troops in the Tibesti region, resulting in hundreds of
civilian, government, and rebel casualties, but little ground won or
lost. Following an accord with the government in 2003, several hundred
rebels rejoined the Chadian Army. Armed remnants of the MDJT linger in
the Tibesti region, but no active armed opposition has emerged in other
parts of Chad.

Deby, in the mid-1990s, gradually
restored basic functions of government and entered into agreements with
the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to carry out
substantial economic reforms. Oil exploitation in the southern Doba
region began in June 2000, with U.S.-based Exxon-Mobil leading
aconsortium in the $3.7 billion project now exporting oil via a
1,000-km. buried pipeline through Cameroon to the Gulf of Guinea. The
project includes unique mechanisms for World Bank, private sector,
government, and civil society collaboration to guarantee that future
oil revenues benefit local populations and result in poverty
alleviation. Oil revenue began trickling into the country only in July
2004. Success of the project will ultimately depend on intensive
international monitoring efforts to ensure that all parties keep their
commitments. Deby won a flawed 63% first-round victory in May 2001
presidential elections after legislative elections were postponed until
spring 2002. Six opposition leaders were arrested (twice), and one
opposition party activist was killed following the announcement of
election results. However, despite claims of government corruption,
favoritism of Zaghawas, and security forces abuses, opposition party
and labor union calls for general strikes and more active
demonstrations against the government were unsuccessful.

GOVERNMENT AND POLITICAL CONDITIONS
A
strong executive branch headed by President Deby dominates the Chadian
political system. Following his military overthrow of Habre in December
1990, Deby won presidential elections in 1996 and 2001. The
constitutional basis for the government is the 1996 Constitution, under
which the president is limited to two terms of office. In May 2004, the
National Assembly voted in favor of an amendment to the constitution
which would allow President Deby to run for a third term in office.
Revision of the constitution to this effect will be subject to the
results of a national referendum. The Presidential elections are
scheduled to take place in 2006.

The president has the power to appoint
the prime minister and the Council of State (or cabinet), and exercises
considerable influence over appointments of judges, generals,
provincial officials and heads of Chad’s parastatal firms. In cases of
grave and immediate threat, the president, in consultation with the
National Assembly President and Council of State, may declare a state
of emergency. Most of the Deby’s key advisers are members of the
Zaghawa clan, although some southern and opposition personalities are
represented in his government.

According to the 1996 Constitution,
National Assembly deputies are elected by universal suffrage for 4-year
terms. Parliamentary elections were last held in April 2002, with
President Deby’s MPS party winning a large majority. The Assembly holds
regular sessions twice a year, starting in March and October, and can
hold special sessions as necessary and called by the prime minister.
Deputies elect a president of the National Assembly every 2 years.
Assembly deputies or members of the executive branch may introduce
legislation; once passed by the Assembly, the president must take
action to either sign or reject the law within 15 days. The National
Assembly must approve the prime minister’s plan of government and may
force the prime minister to resign through a majority vote of no
confidence. However, if the National Assembly rejects the executive
branch’s program twice in one year, the president may disband the
Assembly and call for new legislative elections. In practice, the
president exercises considerable influence over the National Assembly
through the MPS party structure.

Despite the Constitution’s guarantee of
judicial independence from the executive branch, the president names
most key judicial officials. The Supreme Court is made up of a chief
justice, named by the president, and 15 councilors chosen by the
president and National Assembly; appointments are for life. The
Constitutional Council, with nine judges elected to 9-year terms, has
the power to review all legislation, treaties and international
agreements prior to their adoption. The Constitution recognizes
customary and traditional law in locales where it is recognized and to
the extent it does not interfere with public order or constitutional
guarantees of equality for all citizens.

Principal Government Officials
President--Idriss Deby
Prime Minister--Pascal Yoadimnadji
Minister of Foreign Affairs--Nagoum Yamassoum

Minister of Finance—Idriss Ahamat Idriss
Minister of the Interior-- Abderahman Moussa
Minister of Immigration and Public Security--Abderahman Moussa
Minister of Defense--Mahamat Nouri
President of the National Assembly--Nassour Guelengdouksia Ouaidou
Ambassador to U.S.--Mahamat Adam Bechir

The Republic of Chad maintains an embassy in the United States at 2002 R Street, NW, Washington, DC 20009 (tel: 202-462-4009; fax 202-265-1937).

DEFENSE
Under
President Hissein Habre, members of Gourane, Zaghawa, Kanembou,
Hadjerai, and Massa ethnic groups dominated the military. Idriss Deby,
a member of the minority Zaghawa-related Bidyate clan and a top
military commander, revolted and fled to the Sudan, taking with him
many Zaghawa and Hadjerai soldiers in 1989. The forces that Deby led
into N'Djamena on December 1, 1990 to oust President Habre were mainly
Zaghawa (including a large number of Sudanese), many of whom were
recruited while Deby was in the bush. Deby's coalition also included a
small number of Hadjerais and southerners.

Chad's armed forces numbered about
36,000 at the end of the Habre regime but swelled to an estimated
50,000 in the early days of Idriss Deby. With French support, a
reorganization of the armed forces was initiated early in 1991 with the
goal of reducing the size of the armed forces. An essential element of
this effort was to make the ethnic composition of the armed forces
reflective of the country as a whole. While the military’s size has
been reduced to approximately 25,000 soldiers, leadership positions are
still dominated by the Zaghawa.

War and rebellions have tapered off in
recent years. Following Idriss Deby's rise to power, Habre loyalists
continued to fight government troops and rob civilians around Lake
Chad. In the mid- and late-1990s, a rebellion in the south by the FARF
delayed the promised oil development until crushed by government
forces. Most recently, The Movement for Democracy and Justice in Tchad
(MDJT) launched the most serious threat to Deby's hold on power, but
little progress was ever made on either side. In January 2002, the
government and the MDJT signed a formal peace accord. Although remnants
are still present in the North, active rebellion has been negligible
since late 2003.

Long, porous borders continue to render
Chad vulnerable to incursions. In March 2004, the Algerian terrorist
organization, the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC),
strayed into Chadian territory, where they were engaged by Chadian
armed forces. Since the outbreak of the Darfur crisis in Sudan, armed
militias have occasionally crossed into Chad, resulting in small-scale
skirmishes. In response to such ongoing threats Chad has joined in the
Pan Sahel Initiative (PSI), a USG military-to-military assistance
program which helps participant countries counter terrorist operations,
border incursions, and trafficking of people, illicit materials, and
other goods. Initial PSI training was completed in Chad in July 2004.

ECONOMY
In
2003, Chad's real GDP was estimated at approximately $2.65 billion,
with a per capita income of about $237. Oil, cotton, cattle, and gum
arabic are Chad’s major exports.

The effects on foreign investment of
years of civil war are still felt today, as investors who left Chad
between 1979-82 have only recently begun to regain confidence in the
country's future. The most important economic venture to date is the
Doba Basin oil extraction project in southern Chad. Since late 2000,
development of Chad’s petroleum sector has stimulated economic growth
by attracting major investment and increased levels of U.S. trade. It
is hoped that this project will serve as a catalyst for the entire
economy by helping to reduce energy costs and attracting additional
trade and investment in other sectors. However, the question remains
whether Chad will continue to consolidate its economic reforms and
invest its oil revenues wisely in order to encourage a wider range of
economic initiatives. Continuing political controversy surrounding past
elections and a withering rebellion in northern Chad also dampen Chad's
economic prospects somewhat by exposing the weaknesses in Chad's
political institutions.

The Exxon Mobil-led pipeline pumps oil
from reserves in Chad through an underground pipeline to coastal
Cameroon, where it is loaded onto tankers. Following a crucial World
Bank financing decision in June 2000, the Doba project officially began
its construction phase in October 2000. From 2000 until 2003, an
American-led consortium invested $3.7 billion into the project,
approximately $2 billion of which was invested in Chad. By late 2004,
the consortium plans to produce approximately 225,000 barrels of oil a
day from three fields in southern Chad. The World Bank estimates that
the project will provide a minimum of USD 80 to 100 million in annual
government revenues during the 25-year production phase. In the initial
years, most of this government revenue is committed to priority
development spending under an agreement with the World Bank. The
consortium is continuing to explore other regions in Chad where initial
exploration results have been encouraging.

Despite recent development
of the petroleum sector, more than 80% of the work force is involved in
agriculture (subsistence farming, herding, and fishing). Like many
other developing countries, Chad has a small formal sector and a large,
thriving informal sector. Government statistics indicate the following
distribution: Agriculture--38%(farming, livestock, fishing);
industry--13%; and services--49%. Chad is highly dependent on foreign
assistance. Its principal donors include the European Union, France,
and the multilateral lending agencies.

Primary markets for Chadian
exports include neighboring Cameroon and Nigeria and France, Germany,
and Portugal. Aside from oil, cotton remains a primary export, although
exact figures are not available. Rehabilitation of CotonTchad, the
major cotton company that suffered from a decline in world cotton
prices, has been financed by France, the Netherlands, the European
Economic Community (EC), and the International Bank for Reconstruction
and Development (IBRD). The parastatal is now being privatized.

The other major export is
livestock, herded to neighboring countries. Herdsmen in the Sudanic and
Sahelian zones raise cattle, sheep, goats, and, among the non-Muslims,
a few pigs. In the Saharan region, only camels and a few hardy goats
can survive. Chad also sells smoked and dried fish to its neighbors and
exports several million dollars worth of gum arabic to Europe and the
United States each year. Other food crops include millet, sorghum,
peanuts, rice, sweet potatoes, manioc, cassava, and yams.

After averaging 0.8% in
1999-2000, Chad’s real GDP growth was estimated at 8.9% in 2001, and
10% in 2002 and 2003 as the Doba oil project accelerated. Inflation
rose from 3.7% in 2000 to 12.4% in 2001, dropped to 5.2% in 2002, and
is estimated to level out at 3% in 2004 . In 2003, the contraction in
investments, the 7% appreciation in the CFA Franc exchange rate and
bumper harvests combined to generate a 1% deflation in place of the
projected 4.3% inflation. These fluctuations are due in large part to
increasing demand from the Doba project but also to recent fluctuations
in agricultural production. After a disappointing agricultural campaign
in 2000, increased production during the 2001-02 timeframe helped
reduce inflation in 2002. The disappointing harvest during the 2002-03
timeframe, however, may result in increased inflation in 2003. Chad’s
economic performance, at least until the onset of oil exports in late
2003, continues to depend on fluctuations in rainfall and in prices of
its principal export commodities, especially cotton.

Since 1995, the Government
of Chad has made incremental progress in implementing structural
reforms and improving government finances under two successive
structural adjustment programs. Most state enterprises have been
partially or completely privatized, non-priority public spending has
been lessened and the government has gradually liberalized some key
sectors of the economy. Liberalization of the telecommunications,
cotton, and energy sectors is expected to proceed over the next several
years. Chad reached the enhanced HIPCI completion point in May 2001.

FOREIGN RELATIONS
Chad
is officially nonaligned but has close relations with France, the
former colonial power, and other members of the Western community. It
receives economic aid from countries of the European Union, the United
States, and various international organizations. Libya supplies aid and
has an ambassador resident in N'Djamena.

Other resident diplomatic missions in
N'Djamena include the embassies of France, the United States, Egypt,
Algeria, Iraq, Sudan, Germany, Central African Republic, Zaire,
Nigeria, Taiwan, Cameroon, and the European Economic Community. A
number of other countries have nonresident ambassadors. In 1988, Chad
recognized the State of Palestine, which maintains a mission in
N'Djamena. Chad has not recognized the State of Israel.

With the exception of Libya, with which
relations are turbulent, Chad has generally good rapport with its
neighbors. Although relations with Libya improved with the advent of
the Deby government, strains persist. Chad has been an active champion
of regional cooperation through the Central African Economic and
Customs Union, the Lake Chad and Niger River Basin Commissions, and the
Interstate Commission for the Fight Against the Drought in the Sahel.

Chad belongs to the following
international organizations: UN and some of its specialized and related
agencies; Organization for African Unity; Central African Customs and
Economic Union (UDEAC); African Financial Community (Franc Zone);
Agency for the Francophone Community; African, Caribbean and Pacific
Group of States; African Development Bank; Central African States
Development Bank; Economic and Monetary Union of Central African
(CEMAC); Economic Commission for Africa; G-77; International Civil
Aviation Organization; International Confederation of Free Trade
Unions; International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement;
International Development Association; Islamic Development Bank;
International Fund for Agricultural Development; International Finance
Corporation; International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent
Societies; International Labor Organization; International Monetary
Fund; Intelsat; Interpol; International Olympic Committee;
International Telecommunication Union; NAM; Organization of the Islamic
Conference; Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons;
Universal Postal Union; World Confederation of Labor; World
Intellectual Property Organization; World Meteorological Organization;
World Tourism Organization; World Trade Organization.

U.S.-CHAD RELATIONS
Relations
between the United States and Chad are good. The American embassy in
N'Djamena, established at Chadian independence in 1960, was closed from
the onset of the heavy fighting in the city in 1980 until the
withdrawal of the Libyan forces at the end of 1981. It was reopened in
January 1982. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and
the U.S. Information Service (USIS) offices resumed activities in Chad
in September 1983.

The United States enjoys cordial
relations with the Deby Government . Chad has proved a valuable partner
in the global war on terror, and in providing shelter to approximately
200,000 refugees of Sudan’s Darfur crisis along its eastern border.

Before permanently closing its Chad
mission in 1995 because of declining funds and security concerns,
USAID’s development program in Chad concentrated on the agricultural,
health, and infrastructure sectors. It also included projects in road
repair and maintenance, maternal and child health, famine early warning
systems, and agricultural marketing. A number of American voluntary
agencies (notably AFRICARE and VITA) continue to operate in Chad. Peace
Corps has traditionally had a large presence in Chad, with volunteers
arriving during the postwar period in September 1987, then withdrawing
in 1998. Peace Corps operations resumed in September 2003, with a group
of 20 new volunteers.  The second class of 17 volunteers arrived
in September 2004. Both groups focus on teaching English, with
expansion into other areas planned for 2005.

Principal U.S. Officials
Ambassador--Marc Wall
Deputy Chief of Mission--Cheryl "Casey" Casebeer
Political/Economic Officer--Kathleen FitzGibbon
Consular/Economic Officer--Vincent D. Spera
Management Officer-- Vacant
Public Affairs Officer--Marissa Maurer
Regional Security Officer—Patrick Leonard
Defense Attache—Lt. Col. Tim Mitchell

The U.S. embassy in Chad is located on Avenue Felix Eboue, N'Djamena, (tel: 235-51-70-09, 235-51-90-52, or 235-51-92-33; fax 235-51-56-54).

TRAVEL AND BUSINESS INFORMATION
The
U.S. Department of State's Consular Information Program provides
Consular Information Sheets, Travel Warnings, and Public Announcements.
Consular Information Sheets exist for all countries and include
information on entry requirements, currency regulations, health
conditions, areas of instability, crime and security, political
disturbances, and the addresses of the U.S. posts in the country. Travel Warnings are issued when the State Department recommends that Americans avoid travel to a certain country. Public Announcements
are issued as a means to disseminate information quickly about
terrorist threats and other relatively short-term conditions overseas
that pose significant risks to the security of American travelers. Free
copies of this information are available by calling the Bureau of
Consular Affairs at 202-647-5225 or via the fax-on-demand system:
202-647-3000. Consular Information Sheets and Travel Warnings also are
available on the Consular Affairs Internet home page: http://travel.state.gov.
Consular Affairs Tips for Travelers publication series, which contain
information on obtaining passports and planning a safe trip abroad, are
on the Internet and hard copies can be purchased from the
Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office,
telephone: 202-512-1800; fax 202-512-2250.

Emergency information concerning
Americans traveling abroad may be obtained from the Office of Overseas
Citizens Services at (202) 647-5225. For after-hours emergencies,
Sundays and holidays, call 202-647-4000.

The National Passport Information Center
(NPIC) is the U.S. Department of State's single, centralized public
contact center for U.S. passport information. Telephone: 1-877-4USA-PPT
(1-877-487-2778). Customer service representatives and operators for
TDD/TTY are available Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Eastern
Time, excluding federal holidays.

Travelers can check the latest health
information with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in
Atlanta, Georgia. A hotline at 877-FYI-TRIP (877-394-8747) and a web
site at http://www.cdc.gov/travel/index.htm
give the most recent health advisories, immunization recommendations or
requirements, and advice on food and drinking water safety for regions
and countries. A booklet entitled Health Information for International
Travel (HHS publication number CDC-95-8280) is available from the U.S.
Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402, tel. (202) 512-1800.

Information on travel conditions, visa
requirements, currency and customs regulations, legal holidays, and
other items of interest to travelers also may be obtained before your
departure from a country's embassy and/or consulates in the U.S. (for
this country, see "Principal Government Officials" listing in this
publication).

U.S. citizens who are long-term visitors or traveling in dangerous areas are encouraged to register their travel via the State Department’s travel registration web site at https://travelregistration.state.gov

or at the Consular section of the U.S. embassy upon arrival in a
country by filling out a short form and sending in a copy of their
passports. This may help family members contact you in case of an
emergency.


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