Editing Chadian National Army (section)

==History==
{{Main|Military history of Chad}}
===Founding and early conflicts===
The first president of Chad, [[François Tombalbaye]], established the nation's military on 27 May 1961.{{sfn|Hansen|2023|page=121}} From independence through the period of the presidency of Félix Malloum (1975–79), the official national army was known as the [[Chadian Armed Forces]] (''Forces Armées Tchadiennes''—FAT).<ref name=":02">{{citation-attribution|1={{Cite encyclopedia|title=Chad: A Country Study|url=https://www.loc.gov/item/89600373/|date=1990|publisher=[[Federal Research Division]], [[Library of Congress]]|editor-last=Collelo|editor-first=Thomas|isbn=0-16-024770-5|edition=2nd|location=Washington, D.C.|pages=175}}}}</ref> Composed mainly of soldiers from southern Chad, FAT had its roots in the army recruited by France and had military traditions dating back to World War I.<ref name=":02" /> FAT lost its status as the legal state army when Malloum's civil and military administration disintegrated in 1979.<ref name=":02" /> Although it remained a distinct military body for several years, FAT was eventually reduced to the status of a regional army representing the south.

After Habré consolidated his authority and assumed the presidency in 1982, his victorious army, the [[Armed Forces of the North]] (Forces Armées du Nord—FAN), became the nucleus of a new national army.<ref name=":02" /> The force was officially constituted in January 1983, when the various pro-Habré contingents were merged and renamed the [[Chadian National Armed Forces]] (''Forces Armées Nationales Tchadiennes''—FANT).<ref name=":02" />

The military of Chad was dominated by members of [[Toubou]], [[Zaghawa people|Zaghawa]], [[Kanembu people|Kanembou]], [[Hadjerai]], and [[Masa people|Massa]] ethnic groups during the presidency of [[Hissène Habré]]. Later [[Chad]]ian president [[Idriss Déby]] revolted and fled to the [[Sudan]], taking with him many Zaghawa and Hadjerai soldiers in 1989.

===Déby administrations===
[[File:Chadian Eland Mk7.jpg|thumb|Chadian [[Eland Mk7]] armoured car in [[Bangui]], Central African Republic, in 2013]]
[[File:Hélicoptère de combat de l'armée tchadienne à l'aéroport de Diffa VOA.jpg|thumb|Chadian Air Force [[Mil Mi-24]] at [[Diffa Airport]], [[Niger]], in 2015]]
[[File:Chadian soldiers at Chad-Sudan border 3.png|thumb|Chadian troops at the border with Sudan as refugees flee the [[Sudanese civil war (2023–present)|Sudanese civil war]] in 2023]] 
Chad's armed forces numbered about 36,000 at the end of the Habré regime, but swelled to an estimated 50,000 in the early days of Déby's rule. With [[France|French]] support, a reorganization of the armed forces was initiated early in 1991 with the goal of reducing its numbers and making its ethnic composition reflective of the country as a whole. Neither of these goals was achieved, and the military is still dominated by the Zaghawa.

In 2004, the government discovered that many of the soldiers it was paying did not exist and that there were only about 19,000 soldiers in the army, as opposed to the 24,000 that had been previously believed. Government crackdowns against the practice are thought to have been a factor in a failed military mutiny in May 2004.

Renewed conflict, in which the Chadian military is involved, came in the form of [[Chadian Civil War (2005–2010)|a civil war]] against Sudanese-backed rebels. Chad successfully managed to repel many rebel movements, albeit with some losses (see [[Battle of N'Djamena (2008)]]). The army used its [[artillery]] systems and tanks, but well-equipped insurgents probably managed to destroy over 20 of Chad's 60 [[T-55]] tanks, and probably shot down a [[Mi-24 Hind]] [[gunship]], which bombed enemy positions near the border with [[Sudan]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://africa.reuters.com/top/news/usnBAN032261.html|title=Reuters - Rebels down a Chadian gunship|access-date=2008-07-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080703225620/http://africa.reuters.com/top/news/usnBAN032261.html|archive-date=2008-07-03|url-status=dead}}</ref> In November 2006 [[Libya]] supplied Chad with four [[Aermacchi SF.260|Aermacchi SF.260W]] light attack planes. They were used to strike enemy positions by the Chadian Air Force, but one was shot down by rebels.<ref>[http://www.siai-marchetti.nl/sf260mil.html siai-marchetti.nl - SF.260 military customers] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061030031356/http://www.siai-marchetti.nl/sf260mil.html |date=2006-10-30 }}</ref> During the 2008 battle of [[N'Djamena]], gunships and tanks were put to good use, pushing armed militia forces back from the Presidential palace.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2008-09-16|title=Chadian Army Helicopters, Tanks Battle Rebels Besieging Presidential Palace|url=http://voanews.com/english/archive/2008-02/2008-02-03-voa4.cfm|access-date=2021-07-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080916071739/http://voanews.com/english/archive/2008-02/2008-02-03-voa4.cfm|archive-date=2008-09-16}}</ref> The battle impacted the highest levels of the army leadership, as [[Daoud Soumain]], its [[Chief of Army Staff (Chad)|Chief of Staff]], was killed.<ref>[[Radio Netherlands Worldwide]]: [https://archive.today/20080208040019/http://www.radionetherlands.nl/news/international/5627058/Chad-rebels-kill-army-chief-of-staff Chad rebels kill army chief of staff]</ref>

On March 23, 2020, a Chadian army base was ambushed by fighters of the jihadist insurgent group [[Boko Haram]]. The army lost 92 servicemen in one day. In response, President Déby launched an operation dubbed "Wrath of Boma".<ref>{{Cite news|last=Ahmed|first=Kaamil|url=https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2020/apr/01/fears-for-civilians-in-chad-after-army-suffers-devastating-boko-haram-attack|title=Fears for civilians in Chad after army suffers devastating Boko Haram attack|date=2020-04-01|work=The Guardian|access-date=2020-04-28|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}}</ref> According to Canadian counter terrorism St-Pierre, numerous external operations and rising insecurity in the neighboring countries had recently overstretched the capacities of the Chadian armed forces.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://magazine.zenith.me/en/politics/security-and-jihadism-lake-chad-region|title=Boko Haram is back|date=2020-04-21|website=magazine.zenith.me|language=en|access-date=2020-04-28}}</ref>

After the death of President Idriss Déby on 19 April 2021 in fighting with [[Front for Change and Concord in Chad|FACT]] rebels, his son [[Mahamat Déby Itno|General Mahamat Idriss Déby]] was named interim (and, later, permanent) president and head of the armed forces.<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Nako|first1=Madjiasra|last2=Ramadane|first2=Mahamat|date=April 21, 2021|title=Chad in turmoil after Deby death as rebels, opposition challenge military|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-chad-deby/chad-in-turmoil-after-deby-death-as-rebels-opposition-challenge-military-idUSKBN2C818G|url-status=live|access-date=21 April 2021|website=Reuters|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210421152012/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-chad-deby/chad-in-turmoil-after-deby-death-as-rebels-opposition-challenge-military-idUSKBN2C818G |archive-date=2021-04-21 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=21 April 2021|title=Explainer-Who are the rebels threatening to take Chad's capital?|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-chad-security-rebels-idUSKBN2C8231|access-date=21 April 2021|website=Reuters}}</ref>