Tchad: how public mismanagement challenges divine justice
Recent statements from the Head of State, who blames Allah for the regime’s failures and invokes divine fear to control citizens, strike a discordant note amid the daily hardships endured by the population. In Chad, faith and spirituality are pillars of resilience, but when they are manipulated to conceal systemic governance, economic, and institutional failures, it becomes essential to remind political leaders that governance is not divinely ordained.
The government’s persistent recourse to religious rhetoric cannot obscure a dismal track record of mismanagement and corruption. Sincerity and justice, core principles of the sacred, must translate in politics through the absolute respect of the people’s will. Yet, the May 2024 presidential election, widely perceived as a sham, shattered public trust. Legitimate protests, disputed official figures, and independent observer reports exposed a rigged process designed to entrench power—at the cost of lives lost celebrating a stolen victory.
For appeals to divine truth to resonate, they must be backed by absolute transparency in electoral processes. The upcoming legislative and local elections will serve as a critical test. Without a complete overhaul of the electoral body and the publication of results polling station by polling station, democratic transition will remain a hollow promise.
The 2024 electoral farce has irreparably damaged trust. The people demand a revamped electoral register and the reconstitution of the National Electoral Management Body for future legislative polls—if the Head of State truly values truth and accountability.
State nepotism versus republican equity
Divine laws condemn favoritism, theft, and inequity, yet the current regime thrives on an obscene concentration of appointments in key state institutions, financial regulators, and security forces based on nepotism. Technical expertise is routinely sacrificed on the altar of regional, clan, or familial affiliations. Republican merit is trampled underfoot. Young graduates without influential networks face unemployment, while critical administrative positions—where oil and customs revenues are managed—are handed out as favors to the Head of State’s inner circle. This tangible injustice fuels frustration and undermines national stability.
Infrastructural collapse: a managerial shipwreck
Attributing everyday privations to divine trials amounts to political cynicism. Chad is grappling with a systemic collapse of essential services—not due to fate, but to managerial incompetence.
N’Djamena’s energy crisis is not an act of Allah. Electricity has become a luxury, with hospitals and businesses crippled by scheduled blackouts. The recent fire at the main power plant has turned the search for stable energy into a desperate quest.
The water crisis in Abéché, Sarh, and Moundou cannot be blamed on divine will—Chad boasts vast natural water reserves. Yet access to clean water remains a daily struggle because incompetence governs. Oil and gold revenues are plundered by a privileged few, diverting funds from critical structural investments. Is this truly how Allah intended the nation’s wealth to be honored?
Citizens no longer settle for moral platitudes or empty promises. They demand credible institutions, functional public services, and inclusive governance. Only measurable and positive transformation in their daily lives can validate the sincerity of those in power.
