Chad

At the Fifth Review Conference of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention (APMBC) in November 2024, Chad was granted a fifth extension to its Article 5 clearance deadline to 1 January 2030. The extension is to address anti-personnel (AP) mined areas estimated to cover 77.6km2 across the northern provinces of Borkou, Ennedi (East and West), and Tibesti, with more than half of the contamination located in Tibesti. In 2024, faced with urgent priorities and limited funding, the National High Commission for Demining (HCND) deployed three explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) teams to secure roadways in these provinces, after torrential rains displaced mines and unexploded ordnance (UXO). Between September and November, these hazards caused casualties when gold miners drove over them. The HCND also cleared the site of the June 2024 explosion at the country’s largest ammunition stockpile, in a northern district of N’Djamena, which, according to the HCND’s official account, killed two people and injured 38 others.

• Given the security risk—authorities describe hazardous areas as an open-air arsenal (“magasin à ciel ouvert”)— Chad should urgently conduct non-technical survey (NTS) and systematic marking to protect civilians and livestock, and seek to prevent the misuse of explosives in gold mining.

• Chad should intensify and report on its efforts to secure and diversify funding and attract technical expertise and operational support.

• Chad should report on its contamination and land release by clearly distinguishing AP mined areas from those containing only explosive ordnance not covered by the APMBC, such as anti-vehicle (AV) mines and explosive remnants of war (ERW).

• Considering the country’s vulnerability to climate change and associated risks, such as the massive floods in 2024, Chad should integrate environmental considerations into its mine action programme as per the International Mine Action Standards (IMAS).

Click here to download the "Clearing the Mines 2025" report for Chad.