Chad broke off ties with Israel 46 years ago under pressure from the leader of its northern neighbor, Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi. Idriss Deby himself became President of Chad in December 1990, with Libyan political and military support. Late Gaddafi had injected huge investments in Chad, where he owned two banks and some luxury hotels. The Chadian President is likely to seek Israel’s help to keep himself in power and France, his main backer, “encouraged him to visit Israel,” according to Aqreen Saleh, the former Libyan ambassador to Chad who knows Deby personally. During his visit to Israel in November, Deby had said his visit would enable the opening of a “new chapter” in ties between the two countries.

Source: The North Africa Journal January 21, 2019 15:00 UTC