Dear newsletter subscriber,
Chad is a paradigmatic example of those countries that the global community rarely takes note of. The central African country is sparsely populated (there are about 15 people per square kilometre). Its residents have little access to the internet (around 14 out of every 100 people are online). The capital, N’Djamena, has roughly 1.7 million inhabitants, many of whom work for international organisations that carry out programmes in the rest of the bitterly poor country. Chad recently ranked third-lowest in the Human Development Index. The country has oil, gold and uranium, but also a government that is as unstable as it is unpredictable and suppresses freedom of opinion while fostering corruption – in part to check the many militias and rebel groups operating in various parts of the country.
Chad’s problems almost never make headlines, especially not when luxury hotels in the Middle East are under fire. But drone attacks are also a terrifying part of everyday life where Chad borders the Sudanese region of Darfur.
At the end of January, I visited this border region in eastern Chad, where local communities have tried for years to cope with hundreds of thousands of refugees – in an area with minimal infrastructure and maximal poverty. They have done so with a great deal of solidarity, though global cuts to humanitarian aid funding are increasingly pushing fellow feeling and international aid organisations to the limit. In this issue’s Deep Dives, I report on the situation and talk to people on site.
At the end of February, Chad closed its border to Sudan until further notice after the violence once again spilled over and Chadian soldiers and civilians were killed. Many worry that the horrific war in Sudan, which has triggered the largest humanitarian crisis in the world, could spread to Chad. There is reason to fear that even such an escalation would be lost in the chaos into which our world is sinking.
Please feel free to share your opinions, criticisms and suggestions by emailing us at euz.editor@dandc.eu. |
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Kind regards,
Katharina Otieno
editor at D+C |
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© picture alliance/dpa/Belga/Benoit Doppagne
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From Sudan to Chad: Refuge in one of the world’s poorest countries
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Our editor Katharina Otieno reports from Chad, just across the border from Sudan, on a dramatic situation that the international community is knowingly exacerbating by cutting aid. She spoke to a doctor who is responsible for 700 patients, a psychologist who is herself struggling with trauma, and people who were forced to flee Darfur 20 years ago – as well as those who have just crossed the border. |
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The fact that life in eastern Chad works is nothing short of a miracle
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Humanitarian crisis in Chad: “How do we prioritise among priorities?”
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Video: Reporting from Chad
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Together with the International Rescue Committee (IRC), our editor Katharina Wilhelm Otieno travelled to eastern Chad, where the situation is deteriorating after massive aid cuts. A short video with some visual impressions from her trip is available on our LinkedIn-Channel. |
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Our latest Digital Monthly:
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| What remains of humanitarian aid? |
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of seats in national parliaments worldwide are currently held by women. However, the differences between countries are considerable, as data from the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) show. The ranking is led by Rwanda with 63.8 %, followed by Cuba with 57.2 % and Nicaragua with 55 %. At the bottom – at least among the countries for which data are available – are Oman, Tuvalu and Yemen, with not a single woman in their parliaments.
There are also major differences between world regions. The highest average shares are recorded in Australia and New Zealand (45.8 %), the Nordic countries (44.5 %) and the Caribbean (43.5 %). North Africa (17 %), South Asia (12.3 %) and the Pacific Islands (7.4 %) have the lowest shares. |
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In the fight against the growing problem of marine litter, we now have another ally: researchers and students at the Technical University of Munich have developed an AI-powered underwater robot that autonomously removes large pieces of litter from the sea.
The robot has already proven its capabilities in the ports of Marseille and Hamburg and is intended to be used primarily in environments that are under similar ecological pressure. It can lift objects weighing up to 250 kilogrammes, thereby relieving the small number of qualified divers who currently perform this complex task. In our next issue, we will shed light on other uses of AI and what it means for global development. |
| What has also caught our interest |
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| Marco Rubios Munich speech: How the West is rebranding its colonial past |
The Munich Security Conference may have been a few weeks ago, but Marco Rubio’s speech is likely still fresh in many people’s minds – not least because it struck a tone reminiscent of “the good old days,” only with empire. This is precisely the point made by Kenyan journalist and cartoonist Patrick Gathara in his Al Jazeera comment: he describes how the West is currently working on rehabilitating colonialism – not as a historical debate, but as political preparation. Gathara’s warning: this is not a sentimental look back, but a framework in which "might makes right" is supposed to seem normal again.
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| South Africa as a case study for the tectonic shifts in world politics |
What happens when multilateralism meets “deal first”? Henning Melber – long-time D+C author and researcher at the Swedish Nordic Africa Institute – takes South Africa as a case study for the tectonic shifts in world politics. The only African country that is a member of the G20 is becoming a stress test: in 2025, Pretoria shaped the G20 narrative with “Solidarity, Equality and Sustainability” – and promptly faced a US boycott. This was followed by Washington’s declaration that South Africa would not be invited to the 2026 G20 summit in Florida and would be excluded from preparations. In his piece for the Nordic Africa Institute, Melber places the case of South Africa in a broader context: US isolationism, the dismantling of aid and UN engagement, a transactional Africa policy – and at the same time Africa’s growing bargaining power in terms of raw materials and geostrategy. The question remains as to how the remaining G20 members will react to South Africa’s exclusion, which is a clear violation of the organisation’s principles. |
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| West African hairdressers are filling on mental-health gap |
Mental health therapy may be scarce in much of West Africa, but a hair appointment is within reach for most – and that’s exactly where this Guardian story begins. Eromo Egbejule reports on hairdressers in Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire and Togo being trained for free as “mental health ambassadors”: not to play therapist, but to listen, offer basic comfort, spot red flags (including domestic violence), and refer clients to the police or into the small professional support system that exists. By the way, this issue of D+C focuses on mental health – including in underserved regions.
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| In this section, we occasionally highlight small projects that are making a difference at the community level – because sometimes it’s not major international decisions that make a tangible difference on the ground, but small, local actions. |
Santé Meilleure Vie Meilleure (SMVM) is a Togolese organisation working on chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma, COPD and bronchiectasis, as well as selected skin diseases and neglected tropical diseases. It builds the capacity of health professionals to diagnose and manage these conditions and provides further training for surgeons. SMVM teams deliver clinical trainings and carry out community-based screening activities in peripheral health facilities. The organisation also implements safe water and hygiene services in the communities it serves. In addition, SMVM addresses visual impairments and promotes health literacy by strengthening school infrastructure and training teachers. Its work focuses on women, children and youth in underserved urban and rural areas.
SMVM is seeking partnerships for financial and/or technical support, strategic collaboration, and joint implementation of high-impact programmes.
Contact: somabey.dossavi@sm-vm.com |
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The Postgraduate Programme for Sustainability Cooperation (PGP) at the German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS) is a nine-month training programme for master’s graduates who want to work in international development and sustainability cooperation. Participants receive a scholarship of € 1500 per month. Applications are open to postgraduate students of economics and social sciences holding either an EU Citizenship (including Schengen area) or a German residence permit.
Application deadline: 31 March
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The Falling Walls Global Call invites researchers, innovators and institutions worldwide to submit their most promising scientific breakthroughs addressing global challenges. The most compelling submissions are selected to be showcased at the Falling Walls Science Summit in Berlin. The call is open to projects from various fields, including natural sciences, engineering, social sciences, arts and science engagement.
Application Deadline: 15 April
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Imprint
Publisher information: ENGAGEMENT GLOBAL gGmbH Service für Entwicklungsinitiativen
Publisher: Fazit Communication GmbH, Pariser Straße 1, D-60486 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Telephone: +49 (0)69 7591-3110 | Email: euz.editor@dandc.eu
Webseite: www.fazit.de | Managing Directors: Jonas Grashey, Hannes Ludwig |
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