Chad Explained, the Landlocked Central African Power in 2026
AFRICA · CHAD · CENTRAL AFRICA · GUIDE
Key Facts
- •The country Chad is a landlocked country of about 21 million people stretching from the Sahara to the savanna, with its capital at N’Djamena. It borders Libya, Sudan, the Central African Republic, Cameroon, Nigeria and Niger, and its economy of about US$21.5 billion depends heavily on oil exports.
- •Who runs it President Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno took power in 2021 after his father’s death and won an election in May 2024. In October 2025 parliament extended presidential terms to seven years with no limit on re-election.
- •Why it matters Chad shelters 959,126 refugees from Sudan’s war, according to the UN, and sits on the routes linking the Sahel, Libya and Darfur. France ended a military presence dating back to independence in January 2025.
- •Why now Chad told the UN in July 2026 that it is leaving the International Criminal Court, and on 14 August Déby pardoned his main rival, former Prime Minister Succès Masra, who had been jailed for 20 years.
- •The numbers Oil makes up about 76% of exports and 41% of government revenue, the World Bank says, and 36.5% of Chadians lived in extreme poverty in 2024. The CFA franc is pegged to the euro; on Tuesday it closed at 567.01 per US dollar.
- •What it means for you The US State Department has rated Chad Level 4, Do Not Travel, since 28 April 2026. Chadian nationals have been under a full US entry suspension since June 2025.
- •Still open Whether the Masra pardon leads to real talks with the opposition, and how long Chad can keep absorbing refugees from Darfur.
Chad is a landlocked state of about 21 million people in the middle of Africa, ruled since 2021 by President Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno, and it matters far more to Washington and Paris than its size on the world economy suggests.
For an American reader, three things stand out in 2026: Chad hosts close to a million refugees from Sudan’s war, it has turned away from its old military partner France, and relations with the United States have hit a low, with US entry barred for Chadian nationals and a Level 4 travel warning in place.
This guide covers geography, politics, security, money and what all of it means for foreigners. For a deeper look at oil and public finances, see our Chad economy explainer.
Where Chad Is
Chad has no coastline. It borders Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, and Cameroon, Nigeria and Niger to the west. Lake Chad, on its western edge, is shared with Cameroon, Niger and Nigeria.
The country runs through three belts. The north is Sahara desert, including the sandstone towers of the Ennedi and the Tibesti mountains. The centre is the Sahel, the dry grassland where herding dominates. The south is wetter savanna, where most farming happens.
N’Djamena, the capital, sits in the south-west where the Chari River meets the Logone, directly across the water from Cameroon. French and Arabic are the official languages.
Who Runs Chad
Power sits with the president. Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno, now in his early forties, was proclaimed transitional leader in 2021 after the death of his father, President Idriss Déby. A new constitution was approved by referendum in December 2023, and the younger Déby won the presidential election of May 2024, a vote whose credibility international observers questioned.
In October 2025 parliament, sitting as both chambers, voted 236 to 0 to lengthen presidential terms from five to seven years and allow unlimited re-election, starting at the next election. The opposition National Rally of Chadian Democrats-The Awakening (RNDT) boycotted the vote, and former Prime Minister Albert Pahimi Padacké called the change “unconstitutional and authoritarian.”
The government is led by Prime Minister Allah-Maye Halina. His third government, named on 1 April 2026, created a new post of deputy prime minister for Limane Mahamat. It also brought in opposition figures, among them Sitack Yombatina, a former vice-president of Les Transformateurs, Masra’s party.
The Opposition and Succès Masra
Succès Masra, a former prime minister, leads Les Transformateurs, the main opposition party. He was arrested in May 2025 and sentenced in August 2025 to 20 years in prison on charges of hate speech, xenophobia and inciting a massacre.
On Friday 14 August 2026, Déby pardoned him along with eight other leaders of an opposition coalition. “We hope at last to sit down around a table to move peace forward,” said Ndolembai Sade Njesada, the party’s vice-president, after the release.
Security and the Sudan War Next Door
Chad’s eastern border with Sudan runs along Darfur, where much of Sudan’s war has been fought. The UN refugee agency counts 959,126 Sudanese refugees who have arrived in Chad since April 2023, as of 21 September 2026. The border town of Adré is one of the main crossing points.
The State Department raised Chad to Level 4, Do Not Travel, on 28 April 2026. It cites violent crime, kidnapping for ransom, which it calls “common in Chad,” terrorism from Boko Haram and the Islamic State’s West Africa branch near Lake Chad and the Nigerian border, and landmines in the north, east and south. It says US help outside N’Djamena is “extremely limited.”
Chad and the Big Powers
France. French troops had been stationed in Chad almost continuously since independence in 1960. On 30 January 2025 France handed over its last base, at Kossei in N’Djamena, and Déby said Chad was “ending the military dimension of this cooperation” while keeping diplomatic ties.
United States. A June 2025 presidential proclamation suspended US entry for Chadian nationals, and the expanded order that took effect on 1 January 2026 kept Chad on the full-suspension list. Déby answered in June 2025 by suspending visas for US citizens, and the State Department’s current advisory says Chad “is not routinely issuing visas to U.S. citizens at this time.” The US Embassy in N’Djamena remains open.
The International Criminal Court. In late July 2026, Chad’s foreign ministry said it had notified the UN Secretary-General that it was withdrawing from the Rome Statute, citing the court’s “undeniable and egregious selectivity.” Under the statute, a withdrawal takes effect one year after the UN receives notice. Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger announced their own withdrawals in September 2025.
Money and the Economy
Chad uses the Central African CFA franc (XAF), shared by the six members of the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC) and issued by the Bank of Central African States (BEAC). It is pegged to the euro at 655.957 CFA francs per euro. At Tuesday’s close it traded at 567.01 CFA francs per US dollar.
BEAC sets interest rates for the whole region. At its meeting in Yaoundé on Monday 28 September 2026, its monetary policy committee kept the main tender rate at 4.50%, the marginal lending rate at 5.75% and the deposit rate at 0.00%. It expects the region’s economy to grow 3.0% in 2026.
Oil is the backbone of the state. The World Bank says it accounts for about 15% of Chad’s output but 41% of government revenue and 76% of exports. It projects growth averaging 3.9% in 2026 and 2027, and puts extreme poverty at 36.5% of the population in 2024.
What It Means for You
Travel. The US government says do not travel to Chad. If you go anyway, note that Chad is not routinely issuing visas to US citizens, none are issued on arrival, and a yellow fever vaccination card is required. The embassy cannot reliably help outside the capital.
Immigration. Chadian nationals are barred from most US visas under the full entry suspension. Families with relatives in Chad should check the State Department’s visa pages before planning any visit or petition.
Business. Oil dominates, the currency is stable against the euro, and monetary policy is set in Yaoundé, not N’Djamena. Political risk is concentrated in one office: the presidency, which now has no term limit.
Aid and humanitarian work. The refugee response is concentrated in eastern Chad, along the border with Darfur, where the Level 4 warnings on crime, kidnapping and landmines apply in full.
What Is Not Known
It is not known when, or whether, Washington and N’Djamena will lift the entry and visa restrictions they have placed on each other’s citizens.
It is not known whether the August pardons will lead to a formal dialogue with the opposition, or whether Masra will return to frontline politics. It is also unclear how Chad will handle its obligations to the ICC in the year before its withdrawal takes effect.
Refugee numbers in the east keep changing, and the UN’s count covers only people registered since April 2023.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the president of Chad?
Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno. He took power in 2021 after his father’s death and won the May 2024 presidential election. In October 2025 parliament extended presidential terms to seven years with no limit on re-election.
Is Chad safe for Americans?
The US State Department rates Chad Level 4, Do Not Travel, since 28 April 2026, citing crime, kidnapping, terrorism and landmines, and says it has extremely limited ability to help outside N’Djamena.
What currency does Chad use?
The Central African CFA franc (XAF), issued by the Bank of Central African States and pegged to the euro at 655.957 CFA francs per euro. It closed at 567.01 per US dollar on Tuesday 6 October 2026.
How many Sudanese refugees are in Chad?
The UN refugee agency counts 959,126 Sudanese refugees who have arrived since April 2023, as of 21 September 2026, most of them from Darfur.
Is Chad leaving the International Criminal Court?
Yes. Chad said in late July 2026 that it had notified the UN of its withdrawal from the Rome Statute. Under the treaty, a withdrawal takes effect one year after the UN receives notice.
Sources: UN Geospatial, map of Chad, World Bank, population and GDP 2025, World Bank, Chad overview, September 2026, UNHCR, Sudan situation data portal, BEAC, monetary policy committee communiqué, 28 September 2026, US State Department, Chad travel advisory, 28 April 2026, Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, Article 127, Stony Brook University, summary of the 16 December 2025 entry proclamation, Citizen Digital, parliament adopts seven-year terms, October 2025, Afrik.com, Halina III government, 2 April 2026, Africanews, Masra pardon, 14 August 2026, Africanews, Masra’s party after the release, 16 August 2026, Eastleigh Voice, Chad withdraws from the ICC, July 2026, Ahram Online, Chad says it will withdraw from the ICC, 27 July 2026, Ahram Online, French forces leave Chad, 31 January 2025, Africanews, Chad suspends visas for US citizens, 6 June 2025. Exchange rate: Tuesday 6 October 2026 close, 567.01 CFA francs per US dollar. All retrieved 7 October 2026.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief