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 Chad |  Germany |
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Chad–Germany relations are the relations betweenChad andGermany. Contacts between the two societies can be traced back to the expeditions of German adventurers in the 19th century. Later, some areas of present-day Chad were part of theGerman colonial empire for a short time. Diplomatic relations between theFederal Republic of Germany and Chad began in 1960
In 1800, the German explorerFriedrich Konrad Hornemann reached present-day Chad and explored this region, which was then virtually unknown to Europeans, on behalf of the BritishAfrican Association. Half a century later,Heinrich Barth andAdolf Overweg reached LakeChad. Further expeditions followed, during which the German astronomer and Africa explorerEduard Vogel died in 1856 at the hands ofWara, possibly on the orders of the Sultan ofWadai. The unexplained fate of Vogel attracted a great deal of attention in his homeland. The geographerAugust Petermann even set up a foundation to clarify his disappearance. Rescue expeditions byRichard Freiherr von Neimans,Charles Cuny,Karl Moritz von Beurmann andTheodor von Heuglin were sent, but ended without result. Von Beurmann also died in search of Vogel inMao at Lake Chad; he was presumably also murdered on behalf of the Sultan of Wadai. It was onlyGustav Nachtigal who finally clarified the tragic fate of Beurmann and Vogel when he traveled to eastern Chad in 1872.[1]
In 1901,Curt von Pavel, the commander of the protection force in Cameroon, led a campaign in northern Cameroon that took him into French spheres of influence as far as theLake Chad basin. In 1903,German Chad Sea countries became aresidency of the German colony ofCameroon, which was under indirect German rule with local rulers asvassals. In 1911, France cededNew Cameroon (which included the area around the town ofLéré) to German Cameroon and got some areas in German Chad in return. DuringWorld War I, all German territories in Chad fell to France, which was later confirmed by theTreaty of Versailles. DuringWorld War II, German forces in Africa considered an advance to Lake Chad in 1942 to cut off Allied supply routes through the Sahara, but this proved unfeasible. In the same year, German aircraft also bombedFort-Lamy airport.[1]
Chad established diplomatic relations with the Federal Republic of Germany in 1960, and a German Embassy was opened inN'Djamena two years later. Chad also established relations with theGerman Democratic Republic in 1971. In April 1974, a serious incident occurred when a German doctor,Christoph Staewen, was taken hostage by rebels under the command ofHissène Habré. As a condition for his release, the rebels were allowed to call for the overthrow of the Chadian government on theDeutsche Welle foreign language radio station.[1] In response, Chad broke off diplomatic relations with the Federal Republic and had all Germans in the country expelled.[2] Staewen was eventually released in exchange for a 2.2 millionDeutschmark ransom, and Habré later came to power in Chad.[3] Diplomatic relations between the FRG and Chad were finally resumed in November 1974, and the German Embassy in the country was reopened in 1976.
Chad's PresidentIdriss Déby visited Germany for the first time in October 2016. Democratic elections promised under his successor and sonMahamat Déby were not held, prompting criticism from Germany's ambassadorGordon Kricke. In response, the Chadian government expelled Kricke in April 2023 for “rude behavior”. In response, theGerman Foreign Office called onMariam Ali Moussa, the Chadian ambassador in Berlin, to leave the country within 48 hours.[4][5] After the holding of elections (which Mahamat Déby won), a German ambassador was finally reinstated. In December 2024, the German Development MinisterSvenja Schulze visited Chad to discuss the provision of supplies to displaced persons from thewar in Sudan who had fled to the neighboring country. After coups inMali,Burkina Faso andNiger, the Chadian regime had become the West's last ally in the region.[6]
Mutual trade in goods is low and only a few German companies are active in Chad. In 2024, German goods exports to Chad amounted to 23.9 million euros and imports from the country to 951 million euros, mostly raw materials. Chad thus ranked 91st in the list of Germany's trading partners.[7]
TheDeutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and its predecessor organizations have been active in Chad since 1970. In 2024, GIZ had a presence in Chad with almost 200 employees. In 2011/2012, Germany discontinued its bilateral development cooperation. However, projects in Chad continue to be financed. In doing so, Germany prefers to work with local authorities, civil society organizations and international organizations, bypassing the central government, which is consideredcorrupt and accused ofhuman rights violations. One focus of German development aid in the country is on improving living conditions and providing for refugees.[8][9]
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