Flag of Chad. Three Decades of Ethnic Warfare

The flag of Chad is the flag of the fifth largest country in Africa.

Because to archeological findings there of the oldest known human remains, of a gentleman now called Abel, it is thought that Chad may be one of the first areas with human inhabitants.

The flag that flies over this country is a tricolor flag of blue, yellow, and red equal-sized vertical banners.

The blue-yellow-red colors used in the flag of Chad are an attempt to provide a combination of their historical past.

The colors are a merger of the blue-white-red of France’s flag, the tricolor who was the former colonial power with the green-yellow-red colors of the Pan-African of Ethiopia.

Chad’s 1962 constitution refers to the flag of Chad's colors being blue, gold (rather than yellow), and red.

The meaning of the blue color is the sky, hope, agriculture, and the waters in the south part of the country.

The yellow, or gold, color on the flag of Chad represents the sun, and the arid desert, which is in the northern part of the country.

The red color on the flag of Chad represents the country’s hope for progress, unity, and sacrifice.

The Chad Air Force uses a roundel which has a blue circle in the center.

It is surrounded by a band of yellow and then a band of red, which are equal in width. The roundel was first used in the 1960’s.

History of Chad and its flag

The Chad history includes the findings of the remains of what is considered to be the first inhabitant of Chad.

His remains were preserved and scientists called him Abel.

His remains were discovered in Chad in January 1995.

Abel even predates the famous Lucy remains which were found in Ethiopia.

Kanem by the Sefawad dynasty in the 11 th century is the oldest known kingdom in Chad.

Around 1100, the rulers of Chad converted to Islam.

The kingdom grew and soon was spread all over this area of Africa. It had a large army, a powerful administration and produced a flourishing economy.

By 1860, all these rival kingdoms had fallen into decline or been conquered.

The sale of ivory and slaves allowed Chad to buy modern guns and ammunition from traders and to maintain a vast empire.

In 1891, the French sent three army missions to conquer Chad’s emperor and army.

Finally, in 1899, Chad had been conquered and the empire disappeared.

The French now controlled the area that was Chad.

They brought with them the French language and customs, and administration and for this reason Chad is today one of the many French speaking nations in the world, and somewhere you can learn to speak French or practise your French.

Chad became the Military Territory of the Chad Countries and Protectorates of France.

The French tricolor flag of red, white, and blue flew over the Territory.

The Chad colony was not developed by the French.

Chadians were used as forced labor in the south. They created the cotton fields and were forced to work on building projects such as the Congo-Ocean railway.

Many Chadians used whatever power they had to revolt against France.

During the World War II, the Chad governor, who was the first black governor ever appointed, rallied to the aid of De Gaulle.

Chad was the first colony to join the Free France or "France Libre".

At the end of the war, in 1946, Chad started their first fight for governmental freedom from France. It was many years before they attained it.

Chad was finally granted independence on 11 August 1960, and the flag of Chad flew over the new nation.

Chad has continuously had armed insurrection, civil war, and national rebellion. As the civil war grew even stronger, the French military intervened. Even with the French help, there was division among the rebels.

In 1972, Chad asked for Libyan support and Libya did not help militarily but tried to assist in mediation.

France did not try fight directly against Libya but ensured a military protection up to the 16th parallel. In 1987, the re-conquest of the north of the country was achieved and the Libyan base of Maaten-es-Serra was destroyed.

In 1993, a national reconciliation conference was held and a democracy was started.

In 1996, a new Constitution was passed and Chad had its first presidential election.
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More info on Chad, a French-speaking nation
All about Chad (Tchad) | Learn French in Chad | History of Chad | Map of Chad |