Chad holds presidential election after years of military rule

Voters in Chad headed to the polls Monday to cast their ballots in a long-delayed presidential election that is set to end three years of military rule under interim President Mahamat Deby Itno. Chad is seen by the U.S. and France as one of the last remaining stable allies in the vast Sahel region following military coups in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger in recent years. “Everybody just wants this vote to pass so Deby Itno gets elected so they continue to work with him and preserve the stability of the region.” Along with the arrival of refugees from Sudan, Chad is also dealing with high food prices partly caused by the war in Ukraine and a renewed threat from the Boko Haram insurgency spilling over from its southwestern border with Nigeria. In March, an attack the government blamed on Boko Haram killed seven soldiers, reviving fears of violence in the Lake Chad area after a period of peace following a successful operation launched in 2020 by the Chadian army to destroy the extremist group’s bases there.