Chad

Republic of Chad

What is known today as the Republic of Chad (République du Tchad / 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 (First Chadian Civil War) was instigated in 1965 by a coalition of Muslim groups known as the Front de libération nationale du Tchad or FROLINAT, from the north of the country. FROLINAT opposed the first president of Chad, François Tombalbaye, who had established single party rule and gradually became increasingly unpopular, even among his supporters in the south. In 1975 he was overthrown and subsequently executed, ushering in a military government under Félix Malloum. The war against FROLINAT continued until the 1979, when forces under Hissène Habré took control of the capital and centralized authority over the country collapsed. A Transitional Government of National Unity (GUNT) was formed among various armed factions, but was unsuccessful in stabilizing the nation.

A state of sporadic civil warfare would subsequently exist from 1979 until 1987, with Libya involving itself in military matters on four seperate occasions. This period is often referred to as the Second Chadian Civil War or the Chadian-Libyan War (January 1978 to September 1987). Under the leadership of former FROLINAT member Hissène Habré, the Libyans were ultimately defeated and expelled from Chad in what is often distinguished as the Toyota War (December 16, 1986 to September 11, 1987) when Chadian forces pulled together in order to expel the foreign invaders. Habré had previously left FROLINAT to form his own Armed Forces of the North (Forces Armées du Nord) or FAN, and took a position as Minister of Defense under a transitional government in 1980. However, within two years FAN overthrew president Goukouni Oueddei and Habré assumed the presidency, heralding a new government, the Union Nationale pour l'indépendance et la révolution (UNIR) or National Union for Independence and Revolution. Chad once again fell under single-party leadership and Habré's government was repeatedly accused of human rights abuses and atrocities. A secret police organization, the Documentation and Security Directorate (DDS) were behind many of these atrocities.

On 1 December 1990, former Chadian General Idriss Déby led his Mouvement Patriotique du Salut (MPS) to the capital N'Djamena and ousted president Habré in a bloodless coup. He was elected president in 1991 and led the country through a short period of stability and peace until 2003, when conflict in the Darfur region of Sudan leaked over into Chad. The Third Chadian Civil War ran from December 2005 until January 2010, pitting the Armed Forces of the Chadian government (ANT) against various dissident groups such as the Front uni pour le changement (United Front for Democratic Change) or FUC, the Union des forces pour la démocratie et le développement (United Forces for Development and Democracy) or UFDD, the Rassemblement des forces pour le changement (Gathering of Forces for Change) or RFC, and the National Accord of Chad. The war was, in effect, a proxy war, as these dissident groups were all supported by Sudan, while the government of Chad received assistance from neighboring Libya, France, and Sudanese rebel groups the National Movement for Reform and Development (NMRD) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM). This war saw as many as 250,000 Sudanese and 168,000 Chadians displaced from their homes, many of them targeted for persecution based on their ethnicity. The United Nations Mission in the Sudan (UNMIS) also became involved in the conflict (in eastern Chad), although they were directed by the government of Chad to leave the country in January 2009. By early 2010, the governments of Chad and Sudan were able to reach an agreement to end hostilities, effectively ending the civil war.

The armed forces of Chad have experienced three distinct periods of evolution. From independendence until 1979, the Forces Armées Tchadiennes (FAT) were largely an outgrowth of the colonial military units established during French rule. After Hissène Habré led his Forces Armées du Nord into N'Djamena, what little remained of FAT became integrated into the new Chadian National Armed Forces, Forces Armées Nationales Tchadiennes (FANT). Since 1990, the military has been known as Armée nationale tchadienne or ANT, the Chadian National Army. ANT is a broad term for the group of five defence and security forces that comprise the nation's overall defense, as currently outlined in the May 2018 Constitution. The term Forces Nationale Tchad (FNT) is also used, but only to distinguish two of these forces: the Ground Forces, and the Air Force. In addition to those, the National Gendarmerie (Gendarmerie Nationale du Tchad) or GNT, and the National and Nomadic Guard of Chad (Garde Nationale et Nomade du Tchad) or GNNT are both considered part of the ANT, while the National Police and the Judicial Police are purely law enforcement agencies.

Camouflage Patterns of the Chad Armed Forces

• The elite Garde Presidentielle were known to wear a very brightly colored "leopard spot" pattern camouflage in the period from around mid-1970s to the mid- or late-1980s. The design has some similarities to that worn by Zaire, but incorporates very bright orange and yellow tones to give it a distinctive appearance. Uniforms of this design have also been documented in the ranks of the Front de Libération Nationale du Tchad or FROLINAT (1966-1993), one of the earliest dissident groups to form in opposition to the government. This suggests either that ex-members of the Presidential Guard fought on the side of FROLINAT, or that the insurgent group somehow obtained stocks of the uniforms during their campaign.

• From the late 1970s until perhaps the late 1980s, some Chadian government forces wore the Egyptian made "rocks" pattern camouflage, undoubtedly imported from that country.

• Another camouflage design to emerge during this period was a variation of the Belgian jigsaw design, similar again to a design worn by Zaire. Photos from as early as 1978 depict this pattern in use. The Chadian pattern features black, brown and turquoise jigsaw shapes on a khaki background, whereas the Zairean version is more green in appearance. Of undertermined origin, the pattern and fabric may have originated in Europe. Some of these uniforms would later end up in the hands of Libyans, no doubt captured from Chadian forces. Use of this pattern was seen well into the early 1990s.

• French tenue de leópard or lizard pattern was also a frequently encountered camouflage pattern during this late 1970s and early 1980s period. The F1 style uniform was exported by Asian manufacturers all over Africa, in nations as disparate as Burkina Faso, Gabon, Mali, and Rwanda, although in Chad there is also evidence of other style uniforms being worn in the 1980s.

• Dating at least as far back as 1982, the South-Korean produced "waves" or "swirl" pattern saw use by the Chadian Armed forces, although its appearance gradually tapered off by the early 1990s. One possible source for this pattern was via Libyan forces, as we have evidence substantiating this pattern in use during the Libyan Civil War. There is ample evidence showing Libyans wearing captured Chadian camouflage during the Toyota War era, so we might also consider the possibility of Libyan uniforms making their way into the hands of Chadians.

• Several camouflage designs appear to have been adopted during the FANT period, including a copy of the Portuguese m63 vertical lizard design. Although tempting to suggest the uniforms came from one of the Portuguese African countries, the uniform cut observed in photographs suggests they were specifically produced for export to Francophone countries, possibly exclusively for Chad. Unless some of the other camouflage designs that emerged during this era, the Portuguese copy seems to have disappeared almost as quickly as it was adopted, appearing no later than 1986 or 1987.

• The use of US six-color "chocolate chip" pattern camouflage by Chadian forces dates back to the FANT period, probably as early as 1983. Distribution was fairly widespread and reasonably common, keeping in mind that approximately half of all photographs show FANT personnel wearing solid color uniforms. This is interesting in light of the fact that the US military had not even mass-produced the pattern for its own use until 1991. The source for these Chadian uniforms, then, is a bit of a mystery.

• The Chadian government forces were certainly wearing copies of the US m81 woodland camouflage pattern in the early 2000s, although the design may have appeared earlier with the ANT. Several variations have been documented, including some with very distinctive color palettes such a pale green or yellow-green base.

• Another Asian copy of French lizard camouflage having distinctive shapes has also been heavily exported to many African nations, including Chad. As with the use of woodland pattern, it has been observed in the ANT since the early 2000s, but was probably adopted quite a bit earlier and can still be found unevenly distributed throughout the country, particularly among militia and territorial forces.

• Some elements of the FNT have worn the Kuwaiti National Guard "amoeba" pattern during the presidencey of Idris Déby. For example, in 2006, members of his Presidential Guard appeared wearing uniforms in this design, although it has also been seen sporadically in other Army formations.

• An Asian copy of Multicam pattern is also in use by the ANT since at least 2007, although distribution appears fairly minimal and as yet we have not witnessed large formations wearing it.

• One unique design worn by Chadian forces is based on the US woodland camouflage design, but incorporating dark brown, medium brown and beige shapes on a tan background. This design was adopted circa 2007-2008 and continued to see service for a number of years, but its use eventually tapered off.

• Another variation of the US woodland camouflage pattern was adopted by the ANT around 2007-2008, and saw service particularly in the Southern regions of Chad. This design has a slightly different colorway than the original m81 pattern.

• Although reputedly under copyright and strict license guidelines, a copy of the Jordanian KA2 desert digital camouflage pattern has been documented in use by members of the FNT. No doubt the origins of the pattern and uniforms are Chinese, where international copyright laws do not seem to be recognized.

• Personnel from Chad serving with the OAU in 2012 have also been observed wearing a copy of the KA2 Jordanian Royal Guard camouflage pattern, seen here.

• Another frequently-copied digital pattern that has appeared on some personnel from the Chadian Armed Forces is this Asian-made version of USMC MARPAT.

• Another variation of the woodland camouflage design appeared on Chadian participants to exercise Flintlock 2015. This variation has a distinctive yellowish-base color.

• First appearing in the 2014-2015 period, a copy of the Norwegian desert camouflage pattern has been observed in use with some personnel of the Chad Armed Forces. It does not appear to have been widely distributed, however, and uniforms may have been sourced only a single time from the factory, as we do not see it very often after 2016.

• First observed on Chadian personnel deploying to Mali with the UN in 2016, the design shown here is a unique three-color desert pattern incorporating large patches of brown and a sparse scattering black shapes on a sand-colored background. Use of this pattern has continued up through the time of the Transitional Military Council (Conseil Militaire de Transition, CMT) and into the present era, within the Armed Forces, the Gendarmerie Nationale, and the Police Nationale.

• Army Special Operations personnel were observed in 2016 wearing a copy of the Universal Camouflage Pattern (UCP) while undergoing instruction from US Army Special Forces. Use of the pattern has continued into the present era, sporadically, although it is believed the majority of uniforms sourced after 2016 were probably obtained from Chinese manufacturers.

• A copy of USMC desert MARPAT camouflage has been observed among some Chadian personnel in 2018.

• Since at least 2024, elements of the National Gendarmerie have worn a varation of the three-color arid pattern shown above, replacing the brown elements with vivid blue. Many gendarmes, however, continue to wear the previously adopted pattern, as well as a number of other designs.

• Also adopted in 2024 or thereabouts, the Garde Nationale et Nomade du Tchad (GNNT) or National Nomadic Guard of Chad, has also adopted a variation of the three-color arid pattern, but with lime green replacing the brown of the original. As with the Gendarmerie, numerous personnel continue to wear the original design or some other camouflage pattern.

• A fourth variation of the three-color design has been observed within the Police Nationale ranks, and consists of (again) sparse black shapes and large reddish-brown shapes on a khaki background.