Refugees: The Consequences of the Arab Spring

Idriss Deby, Chad's current dictator

Chad has no shortage of corruption and limited civil liberties.  Its short life as an independent country is marked by dictators ignoring human rights.  They are responsible for arrests, tortures, killings, bans, rigged elections, censorship, and more. [1] Since 1980, the three dictators which have controlled Chad have been Francois Tombalbaye, Hissene Habre, and Idriss Deby. [2] A prior article on this blog, "Facing Adversity", discussed the abuse of Christianity under Tombalbaye.  

Even with this history of dictatorship and a lack of human rights, the Arab Spring did not affect Chad the way it affected other countries.  While the northern countries were overthrowing governments, communication kept most Chadians from knowing what was going on in the north. The still-developing and stifled telecommunications kept any sort of protest movement from succeeding. A study conducted in 2013 asked Chadians two questions about political awareness and recorded their answers in percentages [3]:

Q: "How closely have you been following political developments in Arab countries such as Egypt, Libya, and Tunisia?"
A: Very closely/somewhat closely: 31% [4]

Q: "Do you believe that the events that have unfolded in these Arab countries have had more of a positive or more of a negative effect on your country?"
A: More of a positive effect: 25%. More of a negative effect: 49% [5]

The photogenic Gaddafi of Libya

For a little while, however, there was talk of political problems.  When Libya was dealing with the "Arab Spring," Chadian soldiers fought to keep Gaddafi, the dictator of Libya, in power.  When he was deposed, there was an uneasy relationship between the new leaders and the president of Chad. [6] In addition, Libyan rebel groups moved south as their government crumbled.  Chad absorbed some of these groups.  Perhaps influenced by the upheaval in the north and these migrating rebels, the nomadic people living across the borders of Chad, Niger, and Libya had ideas of creating a separate state in north Chad. [7] This never happened.  

In 2013, a plot to overthrow the government through the assassination of Idrill Deby.  It was foiled, but some consider it the attempted beginning of an "Arab Summer." [8] Reports state that senior military offices and some members of the parliament were imprisoned for months for allegedly being involved in the plot. [9]

Refugees from Darfur, Sudan, in a camp in east Chad

The greatest impact the "Arab Spring" had on Chad was the countless refugees flooding into Chad from all sides. [10] It is estimated that over one million Libyans had fled to Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria, Niger, and Chad by 2012. [11] With Libyan refugees, refugees displaced by the conflict in Sudan (over 250,000 by 2012) [12], and the recent Nigerian refugees (detailed in prior post "Friday the Thirteenth"), Chad is overwhelmed with the consequences of the "Arab Spring." 











[1] "Chad". https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2013/chad#.VQePE454pkA
[2] "Chad". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chad#History

[3] "Arab Spring Largely Ignored in Sub-Saharan Africa", Jay Loschky. http://www.gallup.com/poll/172079/arab-spring-largely-ignored-sub-saharan-africa.aspx

[4] "Arab Spring Largely Ignored in Sub-Saharan Africa", Jay Loschky. http://www.gallup.com/poll/172079/arab-spring-largely-ignored-sub-saharan-africa.aspx
[5] "Arab Spring Largely Ignored in Sub-Saharan Africa", Jay Loschky. http://www.gallup.com/poll/172079/arab-spring-largely-ignored-sub-saharan-africa.aspx
[6] "How could the Arab democratic wave change Africa?" Judith Vorrath. http://www.iss.europa.eu/publications/detail/article/how-could-the-arab-democratic-wave-change-africa/
[7] "Mali coup shows Arab Spring instability bleeds over borders," Faisal Al Yafai. http://www.thenational.ae/thenationalconversation/comment/mali-coup-shows-arab-spring-instability-bleeds-over-borders#page1
[8] "Chad government foils coup attempt - minister," Madjiasra Nako. http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/05/02/uk-chad-coup-idUKBRE94101H20130502
[9] "Africa: Learning the hard lessons of Arab Spring," Acheikh Ibn-Oumar. http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2013/12/africa-learning-hard-lessons-arab-spring-2013121771840774707.html
[10] "Chad". https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2013/chad#.VQePE454pkA
[11] "The Arab Spring's looming refugee crisis," Chris Ulack. http://foreignpolicy.com/2011/06/23/the-arab-springs-looming-refugee-crisis/
[12] "Sudanese refugees in Chad." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudanese_refugees_in_Chad