Chad

What is known today as the Republic of Chad (République du Tchad or جمهورية تشاد) was once considered a crossroads of civilization, connecting many North African empires during the first two millenia BCE. The Kanem Empire (700 to 1387 CE) absorbed most of modern Chad into its own territory and controlled the trans-Saharan trade routes, as did its many successors. By 1900, the French had claimed much of North Africa as its territory and established the Territoire Militaire des Pays et Protectorats du Tchad, yet the region was ruled rather loosely and considered primarily a source of raw cotton. Chad was granted independence on August 11, 1960, following the French trend of releasing most of its former colonial possessions that began in the early 1950s.

Chad has unfortunately been plagued with civil war and struggled against external aggression since shortly after gaining independence. The first of these internal wars was instigated by a coalition of Muslim groups who overthrew the government and executed François Tombalbaye, the first president of Chad, in 1965. A state of sporadic civil warfare would subsequently exist from 1978 until 1987, with Libya involving itself in military matters on four seperate occasions. The Libyans would ultimately be defeated and expelled in what is often called the Toyota War (December 16, 1986 to September 11, 1987) when Chadian forces pulled together. The nation was subsequently ruled by Hissène Habré, who governed the nation as a dictator until 1990, when he was overthrown by General Idriss Déby. A short period of stability and peace lasted until 2003, when a new civil war broke out, pitting the Chadian government against various dissident groups such as the United Front for Democratic Change, United Forces for Development and Democracy, Gathering of Forces for Change, and the National Accord of Chad. The country continues to struggle with warfare,

Desert version of the woodland pattern