Draft:Chad



The Republic of Chad is a large landlocked country in central Africa, bordering Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, and Cameroon, Nigeria, and Niger to the west. Originally a part of trans-Saharan trade routes, it was occupied by the French in 1920 and, despite gaining independence in 1960, is still somewhat of a French satellite state to this day. Chad is also known for its extreme poverty, being one of the five poorest countries in the world and having the lowest life expectancy despite having abundant oil resources. Today, Chad is led by a military dictatorship, which western countries tolerate due to their support in the War on Terror against Boko Haram. Chad has also had to deal with the Darfur War in Sudan spilling into its borders, as well as the fact that its namesake lake has shrunk by about 90% due to climate change. Overall, sadly it's not a very good place to live right now.

Early history
Humans likely lived in what is today Chad for nearly as long as humans were around; a 6-7 million year old hominid skull was found in the However, archeological evidence suggests that the area only really began to become more populated around 10,000 years ago, when the climate was likely not as arid as it is today. The first trans-Saharan trade route in Chad was established in 3000 BCE, and by 1000 CE Islam was brought to the region. Various kingdoms were established over the millennia, but the most prominent was the which lasted from around 700 CE all the way to 1900, making it one of the longest-lasting empires of all time.

French colony
was a warlord who was sold into slavery in Ottoman Sudan as a child, but he was later able to subdue many of the old kingdoms using the influence of his wealth from the slave trade, and his military success caught the attention of the French during the Scramble for Africa. After he hanged one of France's explorers, he would be attacked by the French and killed in the ensuing battle. The area that would become Chad was fully subdued by 1920, although the colony was mostly left neglected by the French, who put no real investment into their infrastructure. The colony was subject to brutal systems of forced labor, with famines being a major issue as well.

Independence and first civil war
Chad would (at least nominally) gain independence in 1960, and its first president,  would quickly establish himself as a dictator. Tombalbaye was a Christian, and he would subjugate the country's Muslim population, leading to a lot of resentment in the country's north and east. These dissidents would eventually coalesce into the Gaddafi-backed militant group while France intervened on behalf of the government. In 1975, Tombalbaye would be killed in a coup by his military officers who were frustrated with the country's inability to effectively deal with the rebels. The war ultimately ended in 1979 with the when rebels led by   agreed to a ceasefire with Chad's army led by , who took over after Tombalbaye's death; thousands of Muslim civilians would be massacred during the battle. The was subsequently signed, which was supposed to set up the  a new government that balanced the interests of all of the various factions; however, they would refuse to get along and the country was thrown back into conflict pretty much immediately afterwards.