Editing Chadian National Army (section)

===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.