'There is no better general introduction to Chad's tortured history and politics than this highly readable, carefully researched volume...Fills a major gap in the English-language literature of Africa. Professor Rene Lemarchand, University of Florida. Notes, chron, bib, index, 170pp, USA. WESTVIEW, 0813386772

1998 Hardback

Chad is currently undergoing two processes of significance for its future development: political democratisation and transformation into an oil economy. For a country plagued with civil war for decades until 1990, and known as one of the poorest and most corrupt states in the world, this is a real challenge. The oil export started in late 2003 and boosted the economy in 2004. To avoid the disastrous experiences of most poor African oil states, unique oil management, control mechanisms and other conditionalities have been imposed by the World Bank, thanks to pressure from civil society and the international community. If implemented well, Chad may become a model for how a poor resource-rich country is able to promote socio-economic development and poverty reduction. 81pp, SWEDEN. NORDIC AFRICA INSTITUTE.

A consortium of oil companies is extracting oil from the Doba oilfields in southern Chad and transporting it 1,070 km by pipeline to Cameroon's Atlantic coast. This Amnesty International report expresses the view that companies have a responsibility for the human rights of their operations. It highlights the potential dangers to human rights posed by investment agreements underpinning the pipeline project, as well as the need for a new approach to investment that ensures respect for human rights. Map, b/w photos, 56pp, UK. AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL.

Considers reform in various sectors: health, education, trade, development, etc. BNS, in French, 112pp, FRANCE. L'HARMATTAN, 2747506444

Using a range of written, oral and archival sources, the author looks at the historical background of violence and how it has become an intrinsic part of central-eastern Sudanic society in Chad. This analysis leads into new perspectives on the political and societal reasons for ongoing warfare in the region. Index, refs, xii, 202pp, THE NETHERLNDS. GORDAN AND BREACH, 9056995839

Explores globalization, gender relations and land tenure, and their intersections in the Chad-Cameroon Oil Pipeline project in selected communities in Cameroon. Questions, in particular, the construction of women and men in the project and their relationships to land resource allocation. 236pp, USA. EDWIN MELLEN PRESS.

Covering the years from 1982-1986, this memoir tells the story of Esaie Toingar, a native of southern Chad and miraculous survivor of Chad's darkest days, many of which came during the months of September. This work contains Toingar's first-hand description of growing up, coming of age and waging the ultimate struggle for survival in the war-torn country. It gives a graphic account of what transpired in Chad during the rule of Hissene Habre, and the ways in which the author managed to survive, fleeing his home village and seeking safety among the CODOs, a rebel movement of the South. Derived primarily from Toingar's own memories and includes personal photographs. 224pp, USA. McFARLAND & COMPANY.

Romanticised scenes from Seid's boyhood as well as stories from the golden age of empires, folktales, fables and legends. 84pp, USA. AFRICA WORLD PRESS.