Chad

Ten years after Idriss Deby has come to power and a hardly outlined process of democratisation has been implemented, Chad finds itself in a very precarious position. Tensions remain high in the southern part of the country, and there are still widespread violations of human rights. Since clan rivalries arbitrated by French military interventions have been prevailing, this has impeded this impoverished country without access to any sea to develop, despite of hopes raised by an expected exploitation of crude oil reserves in the southern part of the country. Moreover, Chad's government is conducting tough negotiations with its main donors who blame it for a lack of transparency in the spending of foreign aid.

Straddling Saharan and tropical Africa, Chad has been facing an extremely precarious food security situation in its northern half. As for the southern regions, far more suited to farming, they are suffering from tensions prevailing in border areas and from a very poor state of the road network, thereby hampering trade and encouraging speculation. Fuel supply troubles carry on disturbing economic activities.

Since 1994, Action Against Hunger has been focusing its efforts on the Kanem Prefecture, where a severe rainfall deficit over three years running has made rural populations extremely vulnerable. In 1999, we extended our programs to the East Logone Prefecture where both the insecurity prevailing in Spring '98 and poor weather conditions have called for supplying seeds and setting up a nutritional monitoring program. Action Against Hunger also keeps on supporting the Cara Nagdaro association which conducts farming training programs in the Guéra Prefecture.