Chad

Is Chad safe to visit?

No. The US advisoryUS travel advisoryThe US State Department's rating of each country from Level 1 (exercise normal precautions) to Level 4 (do not travel).More in the glossary is Level 4, "do not travel for any reason", citing crime, terrorism, unrest, kidnapping, poor health care and landmines. The UK advises against all travel to the northern provinces, the Lake Chad region, western Kanem and within 30 km of most borders, and against all but essential travel to the rest of the country, N'Djamena included. We score Chad 29, a little above the Central African Republic (26) and below Nigeria (35).

The 2026 Global Peace IndexGlobal Peace IndexAn annual ranking of 163 countries by how peaceful they are, based on conflict, crime, militarisation and political instability.More in the glossary ranks Chad 145th of 163, its worst position since the index began. Its score fell 6.4% in a year, the second-largest drop of any country, mainly because of the war next door in Sudan.

Sudan's war on the eastern border

Sudan's civil war has pushed more than 1.2 million refugees into eastern Chad since April 2023, according to the GPIGlobal Peace IndexAn annual ranking of 163 countries by how peaceful they are, based on conflict, crime, militarisation and political instability.More in the glossary, with a new wave after attacks on the Zamzam and Abu Shouk camps in North Darfur in April 2025. Weapons and armed men cross with them. The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary reports armed clashes and air attacks near border towns such as Tiné since late 2025, and Chad closed the Sudan border on 23 February 2026, with limited exceptions for aid.

The camps in Ouaddaï and Sila provinces are also where disease spreads. WHO recorded 2,092 suspected hepatitis E cases there between January and April 2024, and Chad confirmed a cholera outbreak in the Dougui refugee camp on 24 July 2025. By August 2025 WHO classed Chad among four countries with a major cholera outbreak, and CDC still lists recent cases in N'Djamena and Lac province.

Jihadist groups and kidnapping

Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa (ISWA) are active around Lake Chad, where a state of emergency covers Lac and Kanem provinces. The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary says at least 40 soldiers were killed in a Boko Haram attack on the Barkaram base in October 2024. On 8 January 2025 gunmen attacked the presidential complex in N'Djamena and 20 people died; the government blamed disorganised bandits, while later reporting cited by the GPIGlobal Peace IndexAn annual ranking of 163 countries by how peaceful they are, based on conflict, crime, militarisation and political instability.More in the glossary pointed to a link with Boko Haram.

Kidnapping is the risk foreigners most need to understand. The FCDO says the threat of terrorist kidnapping is high around Lake Chad and along the borders with Cameroon, Sudan and the Central African Republic, and that Sahel groups have held and killed Western hostages. The US says criminal groups also kidnap locals and foreigners for ransom. The north carries a separate danger: many landmines near the Libyan border, rebel groups and contested gold mines in Tibesti, Borkou and Ennedi.

Politics and protests

Mahamat Idriss Déby took power after his father was killed fighting rebels in 2021, and the transition ended with elections in 2024. Tension has remained high. Human Rights Watch says opposition leader Succès Masra was sentenced to 20 years in 2025 over deadly clashes in Mandakao, a conviction the Supreme Court upheld in May 2026, and the court dissolved the main opposition coalition, GCAP, in April 2026. Masra and eight GCAP leaders were released under a presidential pardon on 15 August 2026, but their convictions stand.

Protests can turn violent fast. The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary notes that security forces fired live ammunition at protesters in 2022, and celebratory gunfire after the May 2024 election results killed and injured civilians. Leave any crowd at once.

Crime, roads and getting around

The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary calls carjacking a high risk on roads outside N'Djamena, even in daylight, and says armed robbery is common in some residential areas of the capital, often from cars. WHO estimatesWHO road-death estimateThe World Health Organization's estimate of road traffic deaths per 100,000 people in a country, adjusted for deaths that police statistics miss.More in the glossary 26.4 road deaths per 100,000 people in 2021. Motorbike crashes are common, roads in the south are often impassable in the July to October rains, and fuel shortages are frequent. Crowds gather fast after a crash; call the police on 2020.

Medical facilities are poor, even in N'Djamena, and hospital strikes happen. CDC recommends malaria tablets and says yellow fever vaccine is recommended south of the Sahara. Dial 1212 for an ambulance, but plan on evacuation for anything serious.

How to stay safe if you must go

• Get Interior Ministry authorisation before leaving N'Djamena, travel in convoy with a police or military escort and carry spare fuel and a satellite phone.
• Never drive after dark, and avoid the road in front of the Presidential Palace at night.
• Carry a certified copy of your passport at all times; police can detain you without ID.
• Same-sex sexual activity is illegal and can bring up to 2 years in prison.

How we scored it

Health (15) and conflict (18) are the weakest factors, followed by roads (25). Natural hazards (50) scores highest. Confidence is low: there is no UNODC homicide figure for Chad, only WHO's modelled 8.5 per 100,000, and crime scores rest on government advisories. The weighted average is 29; our cap of conflict plus 35 (53) does not bind.