Chad

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Official name: Republic of Chad
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LIFE & LIBERTY
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Contents

[edit] Geography

[edit] Location

  • Chad is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, Cameroon and Nigeria to the southwest, and Niger to the west. Due to its distance from the sea and its largely desert climate, the country is sometimes referred to as the “Dead Heart of Africa.” Chad is divided into three major geographical regions: a desert zone in the north, an arid Sahelian belt in the centre and a more fertile Sudanese savanna zone in the south.

[edit] Climate

  • Chad is one of 10 poorest countries in the world. It lies in the heart of the African continent and suffers from low rainfall and severe droughts. Temperatures in April can reach 50° C+, this is physically challenging for all foreign workers as well as Chadians. They need good sleep, stamina and daily spiritual freshness.

[edit] Natural Resources

  • A largely semi-desert country, Chad is rich in gold and uranium and stands to benefit from its recently-acquired status as an oil-exporting state. Pray for a government that is impartial, honest and fully representative of both, north and south, Muslim and Christian and the many ethnic divisions, which is a great need. Only then can peace come,with subsequent economic development and social uplift where poverty and illiteracy are still major problems.

[edit] Demographics

[edit] Peoples

[edit] Language

[edit] Provinces

Abeché
N'Djamena, capital city

[edit] Life

  • There is much conflict among the peoples of the country.

[edit] Economy

[edit] Government

  • Chad is one of 10 poorest countries in the world. It lies in the heart of the African continent and suffers from low rainfall and severe droughts. Chad endured three decades of civil warfare as well as invasions by Libya before a semblance of peace was finally restored in 1990, but the civil war goes on. The government eventually drafted a democratic constitution and held flawed presidential elections in 1996 and 2001.
  • The United Nations Security Council has called on all member-states to back the Chadian government, because there are often civil wars, on and off. Pray for a cessation of the conflicts in the country and a stable peace and stability.

[edit] Terrorism:

  • Terrorism in Chad has been used by rebel groups a means of opposing the successive dictatorships since Chadian independence in 1960. Chadian President Idriss Déby Itno has said that his ongoing battle against rebels and Janjaweed militiamen based in Sudan is a war against Islamic extremists. In August 2004, United States of America troops were in Chad training some of the country’s elite forces in how to fight Al Qaeda or any of its allies in the region.
  • Meanwhile, an Islamic preacher in the oil-rich southern region of Chad was killed by government forces in July 2008. The incident in the town of Kouno came in response to calls for an international jihad from Ahmat Ismail Bichara, 28, and the destruction of most of the town by his followers. Ahmat Mamahat Bachir, Chad’s Minister of the Interior, described the preacher and his followers as “terrorists” and “extremists,” adding that Bichara was a typical suicide guru. Bichara issued a manifesto declaring his jihad on June 3, 2008, calling on local Muslims to join a campaign against Christians and atheists. It was uncertain how much resonance Bichara’s brief holy war would have with the rest of Chad’s Muslim population, who are largely Sufis with little in common with the Salafist trend of Al Qaeda-style militancy.
  • Pray for security in travel as there is frequent fighting in the east, also for encouragement of the believers.


[edit] Religion

  • The country is almost equally divided between Muslim northerners, who are politically more powerful, and increasingly more marginalized Christian/ethnic religion southerners. This country is on the forefront of the Christian/Muslim divide in Sub-Saharan Africa. There is religious freedom (at least on the paper) but this is threatened by the polarisation of the country. The South West of the country is majority Christian, whilst the north and east of the country is 99% Muslim. Pray for continued peace and freedom in all ethnic and religious communities.

[edit] Islam

  • Islam is the most widely practiced religion.

[edit] Buddhism

[edit] Christianity

  • 27.8% of Chad’s population

[edit] History

[edit] Churches

  • The challenges of the church - the giants of tribal division, animistic lifestyle practices and petty legalism cripple many congregations. Pray for Godly leaders who will teach the bible faithfully and be brave enough to tackle these giants.
  • Pray that the churches in Chad would grow and mature in their faith and discipleship. Many congregations mix Christianity up with other ideas and beliefs and can be legalistic. Pray that the Holy Spirit would be working to bring true freedom in their lives.

[edit] Church and State Relations

  • Challenges for Christians: Many Chadian Muslims have been recruited as mercenaries to attack and kill Christians in Nigeria. The country is almost equally divided between Muslim northerners, who are politically more powerful, and increasingly more marginalized Christian/ethnic religion southerners.

[edit] Mission and Evangelization

  • There are more unreached peoples in Chad than anywhere else in Africa. Pray for ongoing support and protection for missionaries already working here. Pray also that God would call many to dedicate years to learning the languages and building the Kingdom in Chad.
  • The unreached - there have been some turning to Christ from amongst the Muslim majority, pray for perseverance and good teaching for the new believers. Pray also for missionaries working in primitive conditions amongst the nomadic Arabs and other Muslim groups.
  • Radio programs and Gospel messages on cassettes in widely understood Chadian Arabic are effective in this strongly oral society. Pray for the recording of Christian material. Progress is slow because the harsh desert conditions affect equipment and because only a few ‘voices’ are available. Believers fear persecution if their voice is recognised.
  • Thousands of Chadians and refugees have received calendars with Bible verses in Arabic. Pray that the Holy Spirit will use this seed in their lives. The church has organised a meal and invited most of their neighbours and friends who are Ms and showed them the Jesus film and distributed lots of calenders and tapes. There was a great turnout and and many sat and watched the whole Jesus film for several hours.'
  • For around 40 years WEC International has been trying to share the gospel with the Masalit people (cluster Ouaddai-Fur), found in eastern Chad and in Darfur, Sudan. So far in Chad there are only six known believers. However, recently, it has been amazing to see the degree of spiritual openness among the refugees in this troubled area. Because of the fighting the workers have not been able to continue their work in the main Masalit town but are investigating exciting possibilities in another town. There are amazing and increasing opportunities to work with the Darfur refugees, who are of the same ethnic groups that we have been trying to reach in Chad. Pray for wisdom in how to take hold of these opportunities, putting a team into place in an area where there can be insecurity. Pray especially for new workers for this venture. Pray too for the rest of our workers as current ones are over-stretched in existent ministries.
  • The translation of Luke’s Gospel goes through the consultant check in April 2008 and, hopefully, will go to print some time in the summer 2008. Demand for two of the books of epistles has exceeded expectations and reprints are under way. We hope to reprint Matthew’s Gospel later this year as well. The next book to be tackled will be Mark, followed perhaps by Revelation. The work on the Old Testament should take a step forward with the completion of Exodus due later this year. Pray for some of the translation team members who as yet are not Christians, that their contact with God's word will touch and influence them personally.
  • This country is frequently in turmoil and yet in the midst of this there are exciting opportunities to share the Good News. Pray for people to come and do this, particularly for English and IT teachers for the Learning Centres, both short term and long term. We do not know how long this openness will last, the hour is urgent!
  • The 'Centre of Learning' in Abeché provides frequent opportunities to share the faith with individuals.
  • Pray for encouraging and enthusing the southern churches to witness to the majority Moslem peoples. Over the past few years there has been some interest and steps taken in shaking off the fear and hatred of those that historically have persecuted them. This gives hope.
  • There is translation work ongoing into Chadian Arabic of Christian material.
  • In this dry land with constant unrest we can rejoice that there is still religious freedom. Pray for emerging groups of believers from Muslim backgrounds. They need God’s protection and grace to persevere every day.

[edit] Broadcasting

  • The gospel explained through Bible stories and another related programme have been aired on FM radio in the capital N'Djamena and on some southern Chad FM stations. Pray that the Abeché FM station, in a very Moslem town in Eastern Chad, will agree to air these programs. It would be wonderful if thousands could hear the gospel.

[edit] Councils and Networks

[edit] Future Trends

[edit] For More Reading

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