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Chad National Army

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The Chad National Army ( Arabic : الجيش الوطني التشادي , romanized :  Al-Jaish al-Watani at-Tshadi ; French : Armée nationale tchadienne , ANT ) consists of the five Defence and Security Forces listed in Article 185 of the Chadian Constitution that came into effect on 4 May 2018. These are the National Army ((including Ground Forces , and Air Force ), the National Gendarmerie ), the National Police, the National and Nomadic Guard (GNNT) and the Judicial Police.

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39-721: Article 188 of the Constitution specifies that National Defence is the responsibility of the Army, Gendarmerie and GNNT, whilst the maintenance of public order and security is the responsibility of the Police, Gendarmerie and GNNT. From independence through the period of the presidency of Félix Malloum (1975–79), the official national army was known as the Chadian Armed Forces (Forces Armées Tchadiennes—FAT). Composed mainly of soldiers from southern Chad, FAT had its roots in

78-567: A Mi-24 Hind gunship , which bombed enemy positions near the border with Sudan . In November 2006 Libya supplied Chad with four Aermacchi SF.260W light attack planes. They were used to strike enemy positions by the Chadian Air Force, but one was shot down by rebels. During the 2008 battle of N'Djamena , gunships and tanks were put to good use, pushing armed militia forces back from the Presidential palace. The battle impacted

117-520: A culture of exemption. The government has not investigated or prosecuted serious abuses against civilians, such as killings and rapes performed by government security forces and rebels following clashes at Am Dam in May 2009. More than 250,000 Sudanese refugees and 168,000 Chadian displaced people live in camps and elsewhere in eastern Chad. In April 2010, approximately 5,000 new Sudanese refugees arrived from West Darfur , following renewed fighting there between

156-576: A northerner, was confirmed president in Chad's first democratic election. In 1998 an armed rebellion began in the north, led by President Déby's former defence chief, Youssouf Togoimi . A Libyan peace deal in 2002 failed to put an end to the fighting. In 2003, conflict in the neighbouring Darfur region in Sudan leaked across the border into Chad. Refugees from Sudan were joined by Chadian civilians who were trying to escape rebel violence and eventually filled

195-494: A one-man military rule after a hopeful broadening of the base of his regime in the late 1990s which was coupled by the growth of civil politics in N'Djamena. Déby relied heavily on a close-knit group of kinsmen and on claiming the allotted government finances for his own agenda, distributing aid in return for civilian loyalty. Third is the Sudanese government's strategy for managing security within its border, which include treating

234-510: A rebellion against him. The battle at the start of December 2005 in the Chadian capital N'Djamena came as no surprise. For the years prior to the eruption, the Sudanese government was trying to overthrow the Chadian president, Idriss Déby , using Chadian rebels as middle men. The three armed groups involved in attacks in 2008 were armed by Sudanese security forces intent on cutting off

273-581: A state party to the International Criminal Court (ICC), hosted Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir , earning the doubtful claim of being the first ICC member state to harbor a suspect from the court. Following the UN decision to draw down the mission by the end of 2010, representatives of UN agencies formed a working group with the Chadian government to improve security for humanitarian groups in eastern Chad. The plan includes consolidation of

312-537: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This Chad -related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Civil war in Chad (2005%E2%80%932010) The Chadian Civil War of 2005–2010 began on December 18, 2005. Since its independence from France in 1960, Chad has been swamped by civil wars between the Arab-Muslims of the north and the Sub-Saharan - Christians of

351-525: The April attack continued to cast a pall over bilateral relations. Chadian rebels led by Mahamat Nouri fought government forces in pitched street battles in N’Djaména on the morning of 2 February 2008. By the afternoon of the next day, rebel forces withdrew from the capital, short on ammunition and unhinged by the possibility that one member of the coalition, Timan Erdimi, had sought a separate accommodation with

390-608: The Central African Republic to fight pitched gun battles with Chadian security forces on the streets of the capital city. The fighting in Ndjaména lasted from 5 am to 11 am and included armored personnel carriers, technicals (4-wheel drive vehicles mounted with heavy weapons) and tanks, and was concentrated in the southeastern suburbs and at the Palais des Quinze , Chad's parliament, which rebel troops unfamiliar with

429-569: The Chadian Integrated Security Detachment (DIS), a component of MINURCAT consisting of Chadian police forces trained by the UN, which provide security in and around the refugee camps. However, the plans do not clearly address the security concerns of refugees, internally displaced persons ( IDPs ), or the local population. Israel has admitted backing the Government of Chad with "Extensive" Arm Sales to

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468-614: The Sudanese rebel group Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and Sudanese government forces. The conflict involved Chadian government forces and several Chadian rebel groups. These include the United Front for Democratic Change , United Forces for Development and Democracy , Gathering of Forces for Change and the National Accord of Chad . The conflict has also involved the Janjaweed , while Sudan allegedly supported

507-440: The UN mission's slow deployment, uneven record of success, and improvements in the security situation as reasons for its decision. In May 2009, the UN revised the mission's mandate and authorized its gradual drawdown and closure by the end of the year, and effectively shifted full responsibility for the protection of civilians, including displaced populations and refugees from Darfur, to the Chadian security forces. An agreement for

546-620: The age of 20. People in Chad can volunteer to join the military at age 18, however if you wait until age 20 there is a 3-year service obligation. There is also no minimum age for volunteers as long as guardian consent is given. Women in Chad are subject to 1 year of compulsory military or civic service at the age of 21. The government of Chad spends around 4.2% of their GDP on their armed forces. The Chadian Armed Forces spend about One-Hundred and One million dollars in military spending. The Chadian Armed Forces are ranked eleventh overall recent military growth. This African military article

585-402: The army recruited by France and had military traditions dating back to World War I. FAT lost its status as the legal state army when Malloum's civil and military administration disintegrated in 1979. Although it remained a distinct military body for several years, FAT was eventually reduced to the status of a regional army representing the south. After Habré consolidated his authority and assumed

624-426: The camps. It was clear that Chad's rebels received weapons and assistance from the government of Sudan. At the same time, Sudanese rebels got help from the Chadian government. In February 2008, three rebel groups joined forces and launched an attack on Chad's capital , N'Djamena. After launching an assault that failed to seize the presidential palace, the attack was decisively repulsed. France sent in troops to shore up

663-627: The capital of eastern Ouaddaï Province , even before the 18 December 2005 attack. In April 2006 Chadian rebel leader Mahamat Nour Abdelkarim , having brought together several Chadian rebel movements under the banner of the Front Uni pour le Changement (United Front for Change, FUC), laid siege to the Capital of N’Djamena . On 13 April 2006, 1,200 to 1,500 FUC rebels in 56 pickup trucks dashed hundreds of kilometers across Chad from bases in Darfur and

702-511: The country, military spending was estimated to be about $ 300 million. This estimate however dropped after the end of the Civil war in Chad (2005–2010) to 2.0% as estimated by the World Bank for the year 2011. There aren't any more recent estimates available. Chad participated in a peace mission under the authority of African Union in the neighboring Central African Republic to try to pacify

741-535: The dead were all rebel soldiers or a mix of rebels and civilians. The second mass grave at Djari-Kawas is said to contain 45 bodies that were buried there once they were released from the morgue at the central hospital. On 14 April 2006 Chad unilaterally severed relations with Sudan. Though the two countries renewed their pledge to expel rebels from their territories in July and restored diplomatic relations in August,

780-489: The goal of reducing its numbers and making its ethnic composition reflective of the country as a whole. Neither of these goals was achieved, and the military is still dominated by the Zaghawa. In 2004, the government discovered that many of the soldiers it was paying did not exist and that there were only about 19,000 soldiers in the army, as opposed to the 24,000 that had been previously believed. Government crackdowns against

819-528: The government. The Battle of Am Dam took place in and around the eastern Chadian town of Am Dam on 7 and 8 May 2009 when Chadian Army forces attacked a column of advancing Union of Forces for the Resistance (UFR) rebels. In January 2009, the government of Chad requested that the United Nations begin the process of withdrawing the peacekeeping mission in eastern Chad. The Chad government cited

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858-465: The government. Many of the rebels were former allies of President Idriss Déby. They accused him of corruption towards members of his own tribe. Many rebel leaders were former allies of Déby , who turned against him after he decided to change the constitution. The change in constitution allowed Déby to run for re-election in 2006 , as well as gave power of changing the constitution to the president, this move caused several of Déby 's allies to start

897-427: The highest levels of the army leadership, as Daoud Soumain , its Chief of Staff , was killed. On March 23, 2020, a Chadian army base was ambushed by fighters of the jihadist insurgent group Boko Haram . The army lost 92 servicemen in one day. In response, President Déby launched an operation dubbed "Wrath of Boma". According to Canadian counter terrorism St-Pierre, numerous external operations and rising insecurity in

936-539: The layout of the capital city mistook for the presidential palace. With considerable assistance from the French military, the takeover attempt was thwarted, with hundreds killed. Two mass graves are located in the southeastern suburbs of N’Djaména at a remote spot in Djari-Kawas, where government forces ambushed a rebel column. One mass grave was reported to contain 102 bodies, though reports conflict as to whether

975-418: The neighboring countries had recently overstretched the capacities of the Chadian armed forces. After the death of President Idriss Déby on 19 April 2021 in fighting with FACT rebels, his son General Mahamat Idriss Déby was named interim president and head of the armed forces. The CIA World Factbook estimates the military budget of Chad to be 4.2% of GDP as of 2006. [1] . Given the then GDP ($ 7.095 bln) of

1014-497: The practice are thought to have been a factor in a failed military mutiny in May 2004. Renewed conflict, in which the Chadian military is involved, came in the form of a civil war against Sudanese-backed rebels. Chad successfully managed to repel many rebel movements, albeit with some losses (see Battle of N'Djamena (2008) ). The army used its artillery systems and tanks, but well-equipped insurgents probably managed to destroy over 20 of Chad's 60 T-55 tanks, and probably shot down

1053-725: The presidency in 1982, his victorious army, the Armed Forces of the North (Forces Armées du Nord—FAN), became the nucleus of a new national army. The force was officially constituted in January 1983, when the various pro-Habré contingents were merged and renamed the Chadian National Armed Forces (Forces Armées Nationales Tchadiennes—FANT). The Military of Chad was dominated by members of Toubou , Zaghawa , Kanembou , Hadjerai , and Massa ethnic groups during

1092-457: The presidency of Hissène Habré . Later Chadian president Idriss Déby revolted and fled to the Sudan , taking with him many Zaghawa and Hadjerai soldiers in 1989. Chad's armed forces numbered about 36,000 at the end of the Habré regime, but swelled to an estimated 50,000 in the early days of Déby's rule. With French support, a reorganization of the armed forces was initiated early in 1991 with

1131-513: The rebels, while Libya mediated in the conflict , as well as diplomats from other countries. Chadian rebels attacked Guéréda , 120 kilometers north of Adré, on 7 December 2005, leaving ten dead and five wounded. The attack (attributed to the Platform for Change, Unity and Democracy, SCUD, a group of Chadian military deserters) marked the beginning of a campaign of rebel incursions from Darfur. The Chadian Government condemned Khartoum for backing

1170-519: The rebels. On 18 December 2005, the Rassemblement pour la Démocratie et la Liberté (Rally for Democracy and Freedom, RDL), a Chadian rebel group based in Darfur, attacked the border town of Adré , Chad. Adré is the strategic key to Chad's defense against attacks launched from Sudan. Idriss Déby , prompted by defections from the Chadian army to Chadian rebel groups between October and December 2005, had begun reinforcing Adré, as well as Abéché ,

1209-430: The recent conflict, but has chosen to withdraw after its soldiers were accused of shooting into a marketplace, unprovoked, according to BBC. [REDACTED]  This article incorporates public domain material from The World Factbook . CIA . Chadian Armed Forces The Chadian Armed Forces ( Forces Armées Tchadiennes or FAT) were the army of the central government of Chad from 1960 to 1979, under

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1248-502: The reforms promised in an August 2007 agreement with opposition parties was slow and uneven. Throughout the country, government forces continued to arbitrarily arrest and detain civilians and suspected rebels, often on the basis of ethnicity , and subject them to what has been described as cruel and unusual punishment . Chad's prison conditions are among the harshest on the African continent, and weak institutions of justice contributed to

1287-484: The restoration of harmony between Chad and Sudan, signed 15 January 2010, marked the end of a five-year war. The fix in relations led to the Chadian rebels from Sudan returning home, the opening of the border between the two countries after seven years of closure, and the deployment of a joint force to secure the border. President Idriss Déby visited Khartoum, in February for the first time in six years; and in July, Chad,

1326-500: The same tools to influence its trans-border limits. Furthermore, the regional competition for dominance through an immense area of central Africa has rarely been governed by state authority. This isolated area includes Chad, the CAR , and northern DRC, as well as the areas of Tripoli and Sudan, with Kinshasa , Kigali , Kampala , and even Asmara competing for influence across this area, as well as Khartoum itself. The implementation of

1365-512: The south. As a result, leadership and presidency in Chad drifted back and forth between the Christian southerners and Muslim northerners. When one side was in power, the other side usually started a revolutionary war to counter it. France, the former colonial power, and Chad's northern neighbour Libya both became involved at various times throughout the civil war. By the mid-1990s the civil war had somewhat stabilised, and in 1996 Idriss Déby ,

1404-571: The southern presidents François Tombalbaye and Félix Malloum , until the downfall of the latter in 1979, when the head of the gendarmerie , Wadel Abdelkader Kamougué , assumed command. Joined by gendarmerie units, FAT became a regional force representing primarily the Sara ethnic group of the five southern prefectures . It joined with the Transitional Government of National Unity (GUNT) forces fighting against Hissène Habré and

1443-468: The support that Déby was giving to the rebels in Darfur, especially the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), which had been on the offensive in Darfur. The war in Chad was a result of four distinct forces. For one, the war appeared to be a continuation of the conflicts of Darfur and Chad, which include the competition for power and land. Secondly, there was an internal Chadian conflict. Déby reverted to

1482-598: The weak surrounding states as merely extensions of its internal limits. The Sudanese security helped bring Déby to power in 1990 as part of their responsibility that also saw it engage militarily in Eritrea , Ethiopia , Uganda , Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and the Central African Republic (CAR) over the military decade. In the same way that Khartoum used a combination of extortion and retribution to control its provincial elites in Darfur, it used

1521-515: Was a recipient of aid from Libya . FAT began to disintegrate during 1982 as a result of defeats inflicted by Habré's Armed Forces of the North (FAN). Most remaining soldiers accepted integration into FAN or resumed their insurgency as codos . The Military of Chad is divided into three main branches of service: The Armed Forces of Chad have around 2.2 million women available to be drafted into their military as well as around 1.9 million men. People are considered fit for military service in Chad at

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