Page 78 - Q1 2021

COUNTRY FOCUS

The current president of the African Union
Commission is a Chadian diplomat by name
Moussa Faki Mahamat.

Chad is part of a five-nation anti-jihadist task force
known as the G5 Sahel Group, set up in 2014
with Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger.
In early 2020, G5 Sahel military chiefs of staff
agreed to allow defence forces from each of the
states to pursue terrorist fighters up to 100 km into
neighbouring countries; the G5 force is backed
by the UN, US, and France. G5 troops periodically
conduct joint operations with French forces
deployed to the Sahel under Operation Barkhane.

Oil and agriculture are mainstays of Chad’s
economy. Oil provides about 60% of export
revenues, while cotton, cattle, livestock, and gum
arabic provide the bulk of Chad’s non-oil export
earnings. The services sector contributes less
than one-third of GDP and has attracted foreign
investment mostly through telecommunications
and banking.

Fossil tree

of Pala

Found in the town of Pala, South of Chad, the
fossils trees are portions of tree trunks that have
over the years transformed into rocks. This usually
takes decades to thousands of years. Brief periods
of rapid sedimentation favour their formation.

10. Chad is the largest of the 16 landlocked
countries in Africa. It is also the 21st largest nation
in the world.

Faya largeau Oasis, Ennedi massif, sahara
desert, Chad

78 | The Lion King | Jan - Mar 2021