Borkou

Borkou is Chad's northernmost region—a vast Saharan territory where the Tibesti Mountains meet the desert, and where state presence remains largely nominal. Faya-Largeau, the regional capital, serves as the administrative outpost for an area larger than England but with barely 100,000 inhabitants. The RESITCHAD project (World Bank-funded, IOM-implemented) launched its rapid impact phase here in October 2024, responding to community priorities: drinking water, education, healthcare, and micro-enterprise support for women and youth. Humanity & Inclusion operates demining programs in the BET zone (Borkou-Ennedi-Tibesti), clearing ordnance from decades of conflict including the 1980s Libyan-backed insurgency. Artisanal gold mining has proliferated across the region, bringing informal economies that the state cannot tax or regulate—contributing to Chad's challenge of 'lack of control over large parts of the country,' as international assessments note. With Chad's 2024 GDP growth at 4.9% but driven by oil in the south, Borkou remains peripheral: valuable strategically for territorial integrity, but economically disconnected from N'Djamena.