Chad (Arabic:تشاد , Tašād; French: Tchad), officially the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country in central Africa. It borders Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, Cameroon and Nigeria to the southwest and Niger to the west. Due to its distance from the sea and its largely desert climate, the country is sometimes referred to as the "dead heart of Africa". In the north, it contains the Tibesti Mountains, the largest mountain chain in the Sahara desert. Chad was formerly part of the Federation of French Equatorial Africa.

History

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The area that today is Chad was once inhabited by a group of politically disconnected tribes. Humanoid skulls and cave paintings of great antiquity have been found there. Gradually relatively weak local kingdoms developed; these were later overtaken by the larger and more powerful Kanem-Bornu Empire.Later, foreigners came to have more influence in Chad. Beginning in the Middle Ages, Chad became a crossroads for Muslim traders and indigenous tribes. In 1900, after the battle of Kousséri, Chad became a part of France's colonial system.

In WWII, Chad was the first French colony to join the Free French and the Allies, under the leadership of its Governor, Félix Éboué. In 1960, Chad became an independent country, with François Tombalbaye as its first president.

More on [ Chad ]

BBC News | Africa | World Edition

Tsvangirai in threat to quit deal
Sun, 12 Oct 2008 16:02:42 -0000
Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai threatens to pull out of a power-sharing deal with President Robert Mugabe.
Ethiopian need 'under-estimated'
Sun, 12 Oct 2008 11:25:50 -0000
Aid agencies dispute the Ethiopian government's estimates of those suffering in the country's drought.
New rebels attack DR Congo town
Sat, 11 Oct 2008 10:45:07 -0000
A new rebel group threatens the key town of Bunia in the north-east of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Crowd trouble mars Ghana victory
Sat, 11 Oct 2008 18:49:17 -0000
At least 15 people are hurt in a stampede during Ghana's World Cup qualifier against Lesotho.
Pirates threaten to blow up ship
Fri, 10 Oct 2008 21:56:13 -0000
Somali pirates holding a Ukrainian cargo ship carrying military tanks threaten to blow it up if they are not paid a ransom.
Congo president's call to arms
Fri, 10 Oct 2008 17:41:27 -0000
DR Congo's leader makes a televised appeal for people in the east to take up arms against rebel general Laurant Nkunda.

NYT > Africa

Mugabe Claims Ministries, Jeopardizing Deal
Sun, 12 Oct 2008 00:04:45 -0000
Robert Mugabe said that his party will retain ministries that control the military and the police in Zimbabwe.
Pirates Seize Tanker Off African Coast
Sat, 11 Oct 2008 22:13:22 -0000
Pirates hijacked a huge tanker off the Horn of Africa, even as world powers deployed military ships to the Somali coast to try to end a two-week standoff aboard another seized ship.
Global Update: Hookworm Infection Linked to Anemia Among Pregnant Women in Africa
Wed, 24 Sep 2008 16:22:41 -0000
A quarter to a third of all pregnant women on the subcontinent are infected with hookworm, a new analysis suggests.

L.A. Times - Africa

Jacob Zuma of South Africa still a mystery
Sun, 12 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700
The head of the ruling ANC is in line to be the nation's president. Despite his recent efforts, the prospect unsettles those unsure of him. Jacob Zuma has a problem: He scares some people.
Robert Mugabe grabs key Zimbabwe Cabinet posts
Sun, 12 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700
The surprise move, in defiance of a power-sharing deal, ensures Mugabe and his ZANU-PF party will retain their iron grip on the troubled country. Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has defied a fragile power-sharing deal with the opposition, giving all key Cabinet posts, including the crucial security ministries, to his own party.
S. Africa deaths probed; hemorrhagic fever suspected
Sat, 11 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700
The U.N. health agency says it is investigating a mystery disease that killed three people in the South African city of Johannesburg.

UN News Centre - Africa

Ban calls on rebels, army to immediately cease fire in eastern DR Congo
Fri, 10 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0500
Voicing "increasing concern" at developments in the border areas of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called on rebels and the Congolese Government to immediately observe an effective ceasefire and cooperate with United Nations peacekeepers to achieve a separation of forces.
Ban concerned over Zimbabwe �impasse,' urges parties to reach deal soon
Fri, 10 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0500
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged the parties in Zimbabwe to step up their efforts to reach a "workable agreement" following the power-sharing deal reached earlier this month that ended months of political upheaval and set the stage for the formation of a government of national unity.
Central African Republic: UN reports mounting human rights abuses
Fri, 10 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0500
Extrajudicial killings, torture and arbitrary arrests, mostly attributed to the defence and security forces and encouraged by a culture of impunity, have contributed to a considerable deterioration in human rights in the Central African Republic (CAR), according to a United Nations report released today.

The Economist: Middle East and Africa

South Africa: A Terror threat to the ruling party
Thu, 09 Oct 2008 11:48:13 -0000
A new opposition party at last?THE possibility of a split in the African National Congress (ANC) seemed to grow this week when Mosiuoa Lekota, a former party chairman, called for people fed up with the antics of the ruling party’s new leaders to meet in the next few weeks to chart a new way forward. Mr Lekota, also known as “Terror” (for his once-dazzling skills on a football field), was the minister of defence until resigning last month, along with the country’s then president, Thabo Mbeki. Though Mr Lekota stopped short of calling for a new party, that is the likely outcome. Mr Lekota, an ally of Mr Mbeki, had earlier written an open letter to the ANC’s new secretary-general, Gwede Mantashe, who also happens to be the Communist Party’s chairman. In it he complained that those who did not share the majority view backing the ANC’s new leader, Jacob Zuma, who is likely to become the country’s national president next year, were being “hounded out and purged” from party and government. Mr Lekota also said that corruption charges against Mr Zuma should not be dropped for political reasons, and deplored recent verbal attacks on the courts by leaders of the ANC’s pro-Zuma wing. The ANC, he said, was deviating from its original principles. Staying in it would mean endorsing practices “dangerous to democracy”. ...
Kenya and Sudan: The mystery tanks
Thu, 09 Oct 2008 11:48:13 -0000
Who are the real owners of the tanks nabbed by Somali pirates?THE publication of the manifest of a Ukrainian ship recently captured by pirates off the coast of Somalia is embarrassing Kenya’s government. It apparently shows that MV Faina’s cargo of 33 T-72 Soviet-era tanks and other weapons was consigned to Kenya’s defence ministry on behalf of the government of south Sudan. Much will turn on the real meaning of the acronym GOSS, evident as the buyer on the manifest. Most people take this to mean the Government of South Sudan, meaning that the tanks were destined for that region. The Kenyans say it means the Kenyan army’s own General Ordinance Supplies and Security, proving that the tanks were going to Kenya. But that does not necessarily mean they were not going on to south Sudan. Kenya has no history of using Soviet equipment. A Russian source said that the only Russian arms Kenya has bought in recent years have been Kalashnikov rifles for game rangers. ...
Saudi Arabia: Can it make peace in the wider region?
Thu, 09 Oct 2008 11:48:13 -0000
Saudi Arabia has had mixed success in its diplomacy, but it has raised its profile and should keep on tryingBY TRADITION, Muslim leaders seal pacts by bowing together in prayer, side by side. And what better place to do this than in Mecca, the city Muslims face for their devotions, and where pilgrims of every sect and faction mingle peaceably by the million? So it is natural that Saudi Arabia’s rulers, who not only control the holy city but also happen to be colossally rich, should adopt the role of peacemakers.In recent years, as an ailing Egyptian government has faded from its former role as the Arab world’s chief broker, the Saudis have tried interceding in regional troubles ranging from Lebanon to Israel-Palestine, Somalia and Iraq. Yet for all the pious ritual and lavish banqueting enjoyed by their guests, and for all the moral authority carried by King Abdullah, who styles himself the Servant of the Holy Places, the Saudis have an uneven record of success. ...

Africa & Middle East - International Herald Tribune

Jews and Arabs trade blame after riots divide town
By ISABEL KERSHNER Sun, 12 Oct 2008 20:50:32 -0000
Some Arab citizens and community leaders in Acre say the violence reflects a more general fragility of relations within the Israel, where Arabs make up 20 percent of the population.
Israel offers 'zero tolerance' to rioters
Sun, 12 Oct 2008 12:06:36 -0000
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told the Israeli police Sunday to show "zero tolerance" towards rioters after a fourth night of violence between Arabs and Jews in the northern Israeli city of Acre.
Security is first test of school year in Iraq
By SAM DAGHER Sun, 12 Oct 2008 20:50:32 -0000
As calm settles over more parts of the country, parents must decide if it is safe enough to send their children back to school.
Tehran fails to cool anger over tax on merchants
Sun, 12 Oct 2008 20:50:32 -0000
Merchants in the Iranian capital closed their shops to protest a new sales tax despite the government's announcement that it would suspend the measure's enactment for two months.
Mugabe claims control of police and military
By CELIA W. DUGGER Sun, 12 Oct 2008 20:50:32 -0000
The assertion threatens the fragile power-sharing agreement in Zimbabwe.
In Somalia, a 'forgotten crisis'
By JEFFREY GETTLEMAN Sun, 12 Oct 2008 20:50:32 -0000
The world pays attention to its pirates, not to the continuing famine and warfare.

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