The death of longtime President Idriss Déby Itno in 2021 triggered a military coup that installed his son, Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno, as a transitional president. A new constitution was approved in a flawed referendum process in 2023, and Mahamat Déby consolidated his hold on power through similarly undemocratic elections in 2024. Opposition to his continued rule has generated protests by political and civil society activists, who in turn have faced violence, imprisonment, torture, and intimidation at the hands of security forces. Multiple insurgencies led by rebel factions in the north, the civil war in neighboring Sudan, and the activities of the Islamist militant group Boko Haram around Lake Chad continue to threaten physical security.

• The first presidential election held under the new 2023 constitution took place in May, and official results credited Déby with 61 percent of the vote. Succès Masra, an opposition leader who had served as transitional prime minister since January, placed second with 18.5 percent; he alleged fraud and challenge the results, but they were confirmed by the Constitutional Council, clearing the way for Déby to begin his five-year term. Prior to the election, violent repression had a chilling effect on opposition activism, several candidates were disqualified, and Yaya Dillo, head of the opposition Socialist Party Without Borders, was killed by security forces at the party’s headquarters in February. The National Elections Management Agency (ANGE), though nominally independent, was criticized for progovernment bias; failed to accredit a number of opposition parties, observer groups, and media representatives; and released the election results with improbable speed.
• The first parliamentary elections since 2011 were held in December, and the longtime ruling party, the Patriotic Salvation Movement (MPS), was credited with 124 seats in the 188-member National Assembly; dozens of smaller parties divided the remainder, with none receiving more than 11 seats. Key opposition groups, including Masra’s Transformers party, boycotted the elections and called for the results to be annulled, arguing that actual turnout was much lower than the 36 percent initially reported by ANGE. Elections for two-thirds of the country’s upper house, the Senate, were scheduled for early 2025; the remaining third would be appointed by the president.
• Among other restrictions on the media during the year, including arbitrary attests and acts of intimidation, state regulators suspended dozens of outlets in March and prohibited interactive broadcast programs during the presidential campaign. In July, authorities suspended the news website Tchadinfos for four days after a former minister requested the removal of articles about himself; the site’s editor in chief was detained by intelligence agents for 24 hours in August with no explanation.
• Authorities also continued to ban and disperse unauthorized protests and civil society gatherings. In October, the police forced the cancellation of a conference—hosted by the US embassy and a Chadian research institute—on justice for crimes committed by the regime of former President Hissène Habré. One of the conference speakers, US human rights lawyer and activist Reed Brody, was detained and deported.
• In October, Boko Haram militants attacked a military garrison near Lake Chad and the border with Niger, killing dozens of soldiers. In eastern Chad, refugees fleeing the civil war in Sudan continued to arrive, putting Chadian urban centers under greater strain.

This report has been abridged for Freedom in the World 2025 due to ongoing budget constraints. Freedom in the World is entirely funded by nongovernmental sources such as private foundations, corporations, and individuals like you. Please consider making a donation to support future editions of this vital resource.

For additional background information, see last year’s full report.