Chad INC: How Idriss Deby transformed his country into a corrupt family business.

As Africans, we have been told times and again that our problems stem from without, not within. While it is difficult to disagree within this thesis, our lived realities also seem to indicate that the bulk of our problems come from those to whom we have entrusted the leadership of our countries. Caught up by the resource curse, Chad Republic is an illustration of this situation.

It was a big celebration when, In June 2000, the World Bank and the oil consortium compose of ExxonMobil, Chevron and Petronas announced they would finance the exploration and production of the oil in Chad. The announcement of the project was welcomed as a beacon of hope for the landlocked North Central African country that needed it badly to charter a new course for its development. 

This hope has been dashed as the revenues generated by the oil so far, a whooping more than USD $13 billion has been mismanaged, diverted and looted by the president’s siblings and family members with little and or no accountability. 

Today, despite the narrative of that country’s military exploits in many Sahelian countries, its populations are worse off than they ever were at any point in time (exception made for hardships endured in periods of active wars). 

A detailed investigative report recently published by Swissaid excellently captures how President Idriss Deby Itno of Chad and his family members have been looting the country. A total state capture made possible by an unscrupulous corrupt and greedy President and his family. Excerpt of the report reads (translation fro French):

“ Over the period of 26 years, Idriss Deby Itno, Chad’s president has transformed his country into a private, corrupt family business. His regime acts in the most repressive way possible. The president’s siblings and family members as well as his wife control big portions of the oil sector. ”

Sadly, instead of attending to these allegations of rampant corruption, looting and embezzlement, the Deby regime has vowed to prosecute those who contributed to producing the report. You can read the whole report “Chad Inc” by yourself on the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative website.

2014 Corruption Perception Index

Poorly equipped schools, counterfeit medicine and elections decided by money are just some of the consequences of public sector corruption. Bribes and backroom deals don’t just steal resources from the most vulnerable – they undermine justice and economic development, and destroy public trust in government and leaders.
Based on expert opinion from around the world, the Corruption Perceptions Index measures the perceived levels of public sector corruption worldwide, and it paints an alarming picture. Not one single country gets a perfect score and more than two-thirds score below 50, on a scale from 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean).
Corruption is a problem for all countries. A poor score is likely a sign of widespread bribery, lack of punishment for corruption and public institutions that don’t respond to citizens’ needs. Countries at the top of the index also need to act. Leading financial centres in the EU and US need to join with fast-growing economies to stop the corrupt from getting away with it. The G20 needs to prove its global leadership role and prevent money laundering and stop secret companies from masking corruption. Transparency International