R 221207Z SEP 09
FM AMEMBASSY NDJAMENA
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 7250
AMEMBASSY NIAMEY 
AMEMBASSY BAMAKO 
AMEMBASSY NOUAKCHOTT 
AMEMBASSY DAKAR

UNCLAS NDJAMENA 000409 
 
 
STATE FOR IIP/G/AF (AMURPHY AND EYORK), IIP/T/GIC (JBOCHNER), AF/C 
(GMCKEEL), AF/PDPA (TAYBAR, BWHARTON) 
POSTS FOR PAOS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KPAO OIIP CD
SUBJECT: CHAD MEDIA PROFILE 
 
REF:  NDJAMENA 0260 
 
 
¶1. INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARY 
   ------------------------ 
 
Reftel discussed in general terms problems facing the media in Chad 
and initiatives being taken by media organizations to improve the 
situation.  This message establishes a baseline by which to measure, 
quantitatively and qualitatively, media operations in Chad as they 
evolve.  Though the number of print and electronic media continues 
to grow, it should be kept in mind that the majority of Chadians, 
especially those living outside urban areas, continues to receive 
information on issues of local and national interest via interaction 
with traditional chiefs, religious figures and other community 
leaders.  The next most common source for news would be radio in 
local languages, Arabic or French.  The international news sources, 
such RFI, BBC, and Al Jazeera, are widely respected and listened to. 
Domestic media are divided into two large groups, 
government-controlled and independent.  The latter, including print, 
radio and websites (Chad's only TV station is government run) are 
affiliated with religious organizations, political parties or 
politicians, humanitarian and development NGOs and community 
organizations.  Many could be classified as supporting and being 
supported by those opposed to the GOC.  Typically, a number of media 
organizations appear and disappear or operate sporadically 
throughout a given year.  Difficulties due to censorship or 
self-censorship mentioned reftel are compounded by extremely trying 
working conditions with electricity blackouts and scarcity of 
newsprint and other supplies and equipment being chronic problems. 
 
¶2.  BACKGROUND 
    ---------- 
 
Chad ranks as one of the poorest countries in the world.  About 10 
percent of the population of 10 million lives in the capital 
Ndjamena.  The majority of the rest are distributed in much smaller 
cities and rural villages, mostly in the southern half of the 
country. Transportation and communication infrastructure is weak 
over a land mass three times that of California.  The exception to 
this is the cellular phone boom that has grown to a network covering 
most of the country, served by three major cellular phone operators. 
 Lack of electricity, with only four or five cities with power 
plants, makes for serious development challenges, and complicates 
enormously the task of running radio stations and printing 
newspapers.  Low literacy rates and a multitude of languages limit 
the audience for print information.  Although radio is the most 
accessible media to the general population, no single radio station 
broadcasts nationwide.  In terms of content, government stations are 
the source of record for official decisions, activities of the 
president and cabinet ministers and GOC projects and programs. 
Nevertheless, private radio stations are given greater credence by 
the general populace.  Opposition party leaders, civil society 
activists and other non-governmental leaders tend to receive more 
coverage and airtime on private stations compared to 
government-owned stations 
 
 
¶3. LOCAL MEDIA 
   ----------- 
 
The Ministry of Communication oversees all media activities in Chad. 
The High Council for Communication (HCC) created in 1993, acts as a 
regulatory body and interfaces with local media and the government. 
The number of local print and electronic media continues to grow 
although some fail even as new ones start up. 
 
¶A. GOVERNMENT-CONTROLLED MEDIA 
 
The government of Chad runs two major media institutions: 
- The radio-television network (known as Office National de Radio 
Television du Tchad) comprising a satellite TV channel and the 
Chadian National Radio(RNT), which has local stations in Faya, 
Abeche, Moundou, and Sarh and broadcasts in French and various 
national languages 
- Chadian Press Agency (ATP) 
Additionally, GOC sponsors two websites, one issuing from the 
President's Office and the other from that of the Prime Minister 
 
¶B. PRIVATE MEDIA 
 
Radio Stations: 
 
- Radio Dja FM (N'djamena; languages - French, Chadian Arabic, 
Sara):  generally critical of government policies 
- Radio FM Libert (N'djamena; languages -- French, Chadian Arabic, 
Sara):  founded by a collectivity of human rights organizations; 
often critical of the government 
- Radio Al Nassr (N'djamena; languages - French, Standard Arabic, 
Chadian Arabic, Sara):  pro-government 
- Radio Al Quran al Karim (N'djamena; languages - French, Standard 
Arabic, Chadian Arabic): owned by the High Council for Islamic 
Affairs 
- Radio Al Bayan (N'djamena; languages - Standard Arabic, Chadian 
Arabic):  cultural radio station broadcasting programs aimed at 
Muslim youth. 
- Radio Voix de l'Esperance (N'djamena; languages - French, Chadian 
Arabic, Sara):  owned by the Evangelical Church 
- Radio Harmonie (N'Djamena; language -- French):  cultural and 
music radio station, subsidized by French Cultural Center. 
- Radio Arc-en-Ciel (N'djamena; languages - French, Chadian Arabic, 
Sara): community radio affiliated with the Catholic Church 
- Radio Ngato FM (N'djamena; languages - French, Chadian Arabic, 
Sara):  commercial radio 
- Radio Terre Nouvelle (Bongor; languages - French, Chadian Arabic, 
Peul, Massa):  member of the Catholic Church radio network 
- Radio La Voix du Paysan (Doba; languages - French, Chadian Arabic, 
Sara):  member of the Catholic Church radio network 
- Radio Lotiko (Sarh; languages - French, Chadian Arabic, Nganbay): 
member of the Catholic Church radio network 
- Radio Duji Lokar (Moundou; languages - French, Chadian Arabic, 
Nganbay):  member of the Catholic Church radio network 
- Radio Karuba (Moundou; languages - French, Chadian Arabic, 
Nganbay):  owned by a local human rights organization 
- Radio Brakoss (Moissala; languages - French, Chadian Arabic, 
Sara):  community radio station affiliated with Bahai Faith 
- Radio Djimi (Mao; languages - French, Chadian Arabic, Kanembu): 
community radio station 
- Radio Absoun (Iriba; languages - Chadian Arabic, Sudanese Arabic, 
Zaghawa, Massalit, Fur):  community radio aimed at Sudanese refugees 
and Chadians in the Chad-Sudan border region 
- Radio Palmeraie (Faya; languages - French, Goran):  community 
radio 
- Radio Evangelique REDG (Pala; languages - French, Moundang and 
other local languages):  affiliated with the Lutheran Church in 
Chad 
- Radio Communautaire de Pala (Pala; languages - French and other 
local languages):  community radio 
- Radio Barh El-Gazal (Moussoro; languages - French, Chadian 
Arabic):  community radio station 
- Radio Al Nadja (Ati; languages - French, Chadian Arabic):  owned 
by a local development association. 
- Radio La Voix du Ouaddai (Abeche; languages - French; Chadian 
Arabic):  community radio station sponsored by an NGO called 
Internews 
- Radio Fada (Fada; languages - French, Goran):  community radio 
station. 
 
French-Language Newspapers: 
 
- N'Djamena Bi-Hebdo:  privately owned bi-weekly newspaper carrying 
critical analyses of government policies 
- Tchad & Culture:  monthly magazine; put out by a development NGO 
affiliated with the Catholic Church in Chad.  Generally moderate but 
does publish articles considered to be critical of GOC; located in 
N'Djamena 
- L'Observateur:  privately owned weekly newspaper often critical of 
government policies; located in N'Djamena 
- Le Progrhs:  privately owned daily usually carrying pro-government 
news and political positions; based in N'Djamena  Comment:  Le 
Progres is rumored to belong to MPS, the ruling party. Two factors 
support the rumor: a) the current Minister of Communication, a 
former secretary general of the MPS, is the founder of Le Progrhs; 
b) it has unusually good access to information from government 
sources.  End comment. 
- Da'Kouna:  Bi-monthly youth magazine from N'Djamena.  Embassy PD 
section pays for a page in each number with Washington or 
post-generated articles, press releases and photos 
- Le Temps:  privately owned N'Djamena weekly newspaper often 
critical of government policies.  (Its Director has been jailed a 
number of times.) 
- Notre Temps:  privately owned N'Djamena weekly; started up the 
younger brother of the owner of Le Temps; generally highly critical 
of government policies.  (As with Le Temps, its Director has been 
jailed and accused of libeling government officials.  It was closed 
by the GOC following the insurrection in 2008 and has recently 
reopened.) 
- Sarh Tribune:  privately owned newspaper published twice a month, 
based in Sarh, southern Chad; often critical of government 
policies. 
- Le Messager:  privately owned published twice a month, also based 
in Sarh; often critical of government policies. 
- La Voix: weekly N'Djamena newspaper owned by a human rights 
activist; mostly critical of GOC policies 
 
 
Arabic-Language Newspapers: 
 
Even more irregular than the French newspapers, many Arabic 
newspapers appear only sporadically.  Readership is limited and 
these papers are generally not relied upon by the citizenry or 
government officials. 
 
- Ndjamena Al-Djadida:  independent newspaper distributed in 
Ndjamena and Abeche. Critical of government policies, especially 
with respect to Sudan. 
 
- Al-Adwaa:  independent weekly newspaper. Critical of government 
policies and associated with rebel groups in the east of the country 
that have recently reconciled with the GOC. 
 
- Al-Ayam: Privately owned weekly newspaper often critical of 
government policies. It generally focuses on religious issues. It is 
part of the Islamic media network in Chad, which also includes Radio 
Al-Bayane.  It serves as a platform for young Arabic-speaking 
Muslims. It is distributed in N'djamena, Abeche and Moundou. 
Generally thought to be funded by wealthy individuals in Saudi 
Arabia and the Gulf states. 
 
- Al-Hadara:  Independent N'Djamena newspaper run by a doctor and 
focusing on health and nutrition issues 
 
- Albatha:  Bilingual newspaper in N'Djamena covering general news 
 
- Tachad Al-Youm:  Independent N'Djamena newspaper 
 
- Magazine Dar Ouaddai: Quarterly private magazine funded by the 
Sultan of Abeche. It focuses on the culture of the Ouaddai region. 
It is distributed in Ndjamena, Abeche and Moundouand and is 
generally supportive of GOC. 
 
 
¶C. MAJOR WEBSITES AND BLOGS 
 
Apart the first two URLs listed below, most Chadian website are 
owned by groups or individuals opposed to the GOC. 
 
Websites 
 
Prsidence du Tchad :  http://www.presidencetchad.org/ 
 
Primature :   http://www.primature-tchad.org/ 
 
Tchadactuel :   http://www.tchadactuel.com/ 
 
Alwihda:     http://www.alwihdainfo.com/ 
 
Tchadvision:    http://www.tchadvision.com/ 
 
Tchadforum:    http://www.tchadforum.com/ 
 
Ialtchad:    http://www.ialtchad.com/ 
 
Alhifrig:    http://www.alhifrig.com/ 
 
PPLD     http://www.pldtchad.org/ 
Lale     http://www.lale-online.com 
Tchadanthropus   http://www.letchadanthropus.com 
Tchadforum    http://www.tchadforum.com 
Tchadonline    http://tchadonline.com 
Tchad Espoir    http://www.tchadespoir.net 
Tchad-net    http://www.tchad-net.com 
Tchad Info    http://www.tchad-info.net 
Tribunecoum    http://www.tribunecoum.com 
Yorongar     http://www.yorongar.com 
Zoom Tchad    http://www.zoomtchad.com 
TchadHanana    http://www.tchadhanana.org 
Waldari    http://www.toumai-tchadhanana.com 
 
Blogs 
Ambenatna    http://ambenatna.over-blog.com 
Anti-Deby    http://antideby.over-blog.com 
Tchado     http://tchado.com 
Tchachadi    http://tchadchadi.com 
Makaila     http://makaila.over-blog.com 
N'djamena-matin   http://ndjamena-matin.com 
RDPL     http://rdpl.over-blog.com 
 
 
¶4. MEDIA PROFESSIONAL/TRAINING ORGANIZATIONS 
   ----------------------------------------- 
 
- MAISON des Medias (Media House):  newly created organization with 
support of German development agency DED, whose purpose is chiefly 
to provide training for journalists 
- Union des Journalistes du Tchad (UJT):   main professional 
organization in the country 
- Union des Radios Privees du Tchad (URPT):  grouping of private 
station owners and directors 
- Association des Editeurs de la Presse Privee au Tchad (AEPT) : 
private sector editors group 
- Syndicat des Professionnels de la Communication  (SPC) : Union of 
Communication Professionals 
- Union des Femmes Professionnelles de la Communication  (UFPC) : 
women's professional media association 
- Societe pour le Developpement des Medias en Afrique (SODEMA) 
- Observatoire de la Deontologie et de l'Ethique des Medias au Tchad 
(ODEMET):  NGO that watches over media ethics 
- Groupes de Recherches et d'Echanges Technologiques (GRET) : 
French NGO 
- Association des Techniciens de la Communication  (ATC) 
- Media Excel Formation (MEF):  Training organization for 
journalists 
 
 
¶5. CHALLENGES FACED BY THE MEDIA 
   ----------------------------- 
 
- Legal issues: the most controversial development, one that has the 
potential to pit the government against media, concerns Ordinance 
¶05.  This law, promulgated in February 2008, outlines the GOC's 
responsibilities vis-`-vis the media and the media's toward the 
government and the public.   There are a number of highly 
problematic articles in the ordinance that set out penalties for 
such things as "provocations" aimed at "diverting" the security 
forces from their work, or for various types of libel (diffimation). 
 These and other "crimes" are notable for the vagueness in which 
they are described in the ordinance.  For example, language 
reflecting negatively upon the "honor" of an official can get a 
journalist and/or his publication a large fine and 2 years in 
prison. 
 
Note:  There is anecdotal evidence that while Ordinance 05 has not 
been widely used to overtly restrict the media, it has served to 
create an atmosphere of self-censorship.  Some journalists and 
editors prefer not to test the limits of how far they can go with 
critical commentary.  Nevertheless, at this writing, no journalists 
are known to be imprisoned and those who have been in the past had 
shorter sentences than those provided for in the ordinance. 
Moreover, opposition newspapers have recently been getting away with 
rather vitriolic criticism of GOC policies on a variety of subjects. 
 Therefore one can say that despite the ominous Ordinance 05, there 
is a de facto liberal operating environment for the media.  End 
comment. 
 
- Electricity shortages: lack of electricity has made life 
enormously difficult for the media in Chad. Those institutions that 
cannot afford generators or the fuel to run them simply stop 
operations during the daily blackouts.  It restricts many radio 
stations to two to six hours a day of broadcasting.  Likewise some 
newspapers often must delay publication as office equipment and 
presses go dead. 
 
- Lack of financial resources:  The Chadian constitution stipulates 
that some government resources should be granted annually to support 
the media.  Funds administered by the High Council of Communications 
are to be allocated to individual media institutions based on their 
print runs, subscription figures or listener base.  There has been 
much controversy over the way the funds are distributed.  In 2008, 
members of the HCC were accused of embezzlement and the former 
chairman of the Council is still a fugitive, wanted for theft of HCC 
funds.  Newsprint must be imported and its cost is one of the 
reasons that all but the best financed newspapers are constantly on 
the verge of closing shop. 
 
- Training and professionalism:  Most journalists working in the 
media in Chad, especially the private media, have had little or no 
training or formal preparation.  The Department of Communications at 
the University of N'Djamena is less than five years old, and is 
considered to have a weak faculty.  The minority of Chadian 
journalists who have been trained usually traveled abroad for this 
training.  Any specialized expertise such as in covering the 
environment, politics, economics, development or education is 
extremely rare. 
 
 
¶6.  FOREIGN SUPPORT FOR THE MEDIA 
    ----------------------------- 
 
A number of foreign missions and international agencies have 
supported the media in Chad in recent years, chiefly through 
training programs.  The USG funds a number of projects through 
development grants.  These include community based radio programs 
focusing on women's issues or aimed at youth.  There is a 
USAID-funded program to train community radio reporters and another 
to train community radio personnel in studio production techniques. 
The post brought American journalism trainers to Chad in 2008 and 
2009 to conduct workshops for working journalists and university 
students.  Post has also granted funds to the Union of Private Radio 
Stations and to the Union of Chadian Journalists to participate in 
workshops on environmental journalism and for student internships. 
Post also tries to send at least one Chadian journalist to 
participate in a media-related IVP each year.  German aid programs 
have also assisted Chadian journalists form professional 
associations and UNESCO has supported local training programs funded 
through the HCC. 
 
 
¶7.  COMMENT 
    ------- 
 
Despite all the negatives, one should not dismiss the modest 
improvement in the media environment in Chad in the past year, as 
noted above. The growing number of community radio stations is 
providing access to information to the population in their own 
languages and provides a medium through which citizens can share 
experiences and discuss issues of concern to them.  The newly 
established "Maison de Presse" has the potential to reinvigorate 
organized journalists, giving them a vehicle for administering their 
own training programs, overseeing issues of media ethics and best 
practices and aiding them in presenting a united front with respect 
to problems with censorship and threats to press freedom.  There is 
also cautious optimism that with the reopening of journals 
previously closed and release from prison of opposition editors the 
GOC may be developing a more mature and tolerant approach to the 
media.  If so, this is a fragile state of affairs, whose stability 
likely depends on a parallel stability in the very same political 
and security situation that journalists seek the freedom to report 
upon. 
 
 
SBREMNER