The Chadian armed forces consist of about 25,000 regular army troops. The force was downsized under a recent structural adjustment-assisted demobilization program. In early 1997, more than 7,000 soldiers returned to civilian life. Unfortunately, no viable reinsertion program was put in place to complement the effort. Over 80 percent of the workforce is engaged in unpaid subsistence farming, herding and fishing.
Organized labor exists.
Neither has ties to the government. Chad has great infrastructure needs. The country has no railroads and only has a few hundred miles of paved highway. This presents major obstacles to movement during the summer rainy season when the dirt roads are rendered impassable. Chad has five permanent surface runways for aircraft which operate with basic services.