It is now 14 years since Boko Haram and other armed groups began to operate in the Lake Chad Basin. The region, which includes Niger, Nigeria, Chad and Cameroon, has become unstable and the people who live there are in dire need of humanitarian assistance. Out of the 30 million people in the Lake Chad […]
Introduction by Ahmedou Ould Abdallah, president centre4s.org In the Sahel, increasingly long-lasting violent terrorism as well as chronical military coups d’état are distracting attention from a situation that undoubtedly reinforce both of them. That is Gold formal and informal productions and sales. It must no longer be excluded that Sahel Islamists have approaches closer to […]
Chad is set to vote on a contentious constitutional referendum on Sunday that is widely seen as a move to consolidate power by transitional leader Mahamat Deby. Some 8 million registered voters head to the polls on Sunday to cast their ballots on whether Chad should adopt a new constitution. The “yes” vote is endorsed […]
The Chad-Cameroon-CAR border area is a powder keg of crime that needs swift action from all three governments. Kidnappers have terrorised Chad’s southern Mayo-Kebbi West and Logone Oriental provinces for over two decades. Between 2020 and 2023, the number of victims and the overall amount paid in ransom by their families rose sharply, according to […]
Warrant for Opposition Leader; Dozens of Members Arrested (Nairobi, October 13, 2023) – Arrests of supporters of Chad’s main opposition party seem to be an attempt to limit political dissent before an upcoming constitutional referendum, Human Rights Watch said today. The arrests came days after a June 2023 arrest warrant for the leader of the […]
Despite committing to reconciliation, Chad’s transitional government is prioritising military investments and security cooperation with foreign countries. After the death of president Idriss Déby in April 2021, Chad started a transition process in which interim authorities committed to reconciliation and peace. But slow progress and an increased focus on military and security cooperation with external […]
Yaounde, Cameroon — Chad’s exiled pro-democracy opposition leader Succes Masra said increasing threats to civil liberties by Chad’s Transitional Military Council make it impossible for him to return from exile on October 18 as announced. He said hundreds of citizens arrested for protesting against the military should be released as an indication of good faith […]
With the referendum results now confirmed by the nation’s top court, Chadians are looking ahead to 2024 elections and civilian rule. But analysts don’t expect much to change for the country or its politics. Chad’s new constitution has entered into force after being approved by the country’s Supreme Court, paving the way for civilian rule. […]
Mr President, Excellencies, Distinguished delegates, Rarely has humanity faced so many rapidly spiralling crises. In this update, I will focus first, on the scourge of war and the imperative of peace; and second, on the open space that is needed for societies to flourish – particularly in this mega election year. A wave of conflict […]
With only eight weeks before the election, security forces are clamping down on President Deby’s political opponents. The killing of Chad’s opposition presidential candidate Yaya Dillo, came as a shock to rights activists and critics of interim president Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno. Dillo — a cousin of Mahamat Deby — was killed under circumstances not […]
Nairobi — Impunity for “Black Thursday” as Political Space Closes Chadian authorities have failed to carry out prompt, effective, and independent criminal investigations into serious human rights violations linked to massive protests across the country on October 20, 2022, and to hold those found responsible to account, Human Rights Watch said today. Security forces fired […]
Debating Ideas reflects the values and editorial ethos of the African Arguments book series, publishing engaged, often radical, scholarship, original and activist writing from within the African continent and beyond. It offers debates and engagements, contexts and controversies, and reviews and responses flowing from the African Arguments books. It is edited and managed by the […]
Deploying drones and other technology might change the conflict dynamics, giving violent extremists the upper hand. Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) could be close to using delivery drones for attacks in the Lake Chad Basin. Weaponising and adapting unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is a new trend in the group’s operational strategy, and could worsen […]
By the time the current conflict in Sudan broke out in mid-April, its Darfur region had already been facing war and ethnic violence for over two decades. Today’s fighting has rekindled fault lines in communities throughout Darfur, particularly the city of El Geneina. Intense fighting, intercommunal violence, and large-scale attacks against civilians have driven hundreds […]
Chad has reported its first dengue outbreak, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The country’s health ministry declared an outbreak on 15 August and so far 1,342 suspected cases have been reported, 41 of them confirmed in the laboratory. One death was reported among the patients with lab-confirmed cases. The outbreak started in Ouaddaï […]
Chad is hosting more than 1 million people forced to leave their homes, including nearly 400,000 Sudanese refugees. Chad fears the conflict between rival army generals will pile more pressure on its limited resources. Antoine, a Congolese man who has been living in Sudan for around 20 years, is desperate to flee the country amid […]
Nearly a decade of experience managing Boko Haram defectors is invaluable for West Africa and the Sahel. Terror groups in the Sahel are becoming more resilient, making it hard for governments and their partners to degrade them. As the region explores options besides military operations, efforts to demobilise and reintegrate those who leave violent extremist […]
Authoritarianism is on the rise, coups back in fashion, and elections reduced to a perfunctory ritual. How do we reverse the slide? Liberal democracy is losing steam. With the recent coup in Gabon, Africa celebrated the ignoble milestone of 109 successful coups on the continent. A third of Europeans are voting for populist, anti-establishment parties […]