CRACKDOWN IN CHAD

Since the death of former Chadian President Idriss Déby in 2021, the transitional government headed by his son, Idriss Déby, has brutally repressed opposition groups and civil society. Protesters have taken to the streets on multiple occasions to call for a return to democratic governance, but State forces have killed, wounded and detained protesters in mass arrests. Although same-sex relations have been criminalized for decades, violence against LGBTQI+ people has also significantly intensified in recent years.

In 2017, LGBTQI+ activists sought to register an organization to support their community and advocate for LGBTQI+ rights in Chad, but the government used registration as a pretext to intimidate and target organization members. Activists were threatened to remain silent and renounce their LGBTQI+ identity. Since 2019, 22 members of the organization have been detained without charges or trial. In 2020, several members of the organization went missing or were found dead, including one who died from injuries from a brutal castration. In 2021, Chadian intelligence agents buried one of the organization members alive and sent the video to his family. Following the October 2022 protests, imprisoned LGBTQI+ activists and newly imprisoned protestors were transferred to a notorious prison.

Rainbow Railroad has been in close contact with LGBTQI+ activists in Chad, seeking to provide support through funding regional relocation and housing and advocating with governments and UN agencies for pathways to get them to a country where they can resettle. They have faced obstacles obtaining refugee status due to homophobia in neighboring countries. These are some of the most harrowing cases we have ever seen.

One of the activists, still waiting for resettlement, shared his story and perspective:

In Chad, being LGBTQI+ is taboo. People often do not even selfidentify as gay because it’s so hard to tell anyone. None of the local newspapers talk about LGBTQI+ issues, and leaders ostracize people who engage in any discussion on LGBTQI issues. LGBTQI+ people face discrimination in all aspects of life. If your identity is known, schools may expel you, landlords refuse to rent to you, and employers fire you. LBQ women are particularly vulnerable to rape by religious leaders, family members and police. LGBTQI+ people are scapegoated for anything that goes wrong in the country. If the spring rain is late, then religious leaders will preach that it is the fault of LGBTQI+ people. If the bank is late with paychecks, then things didn’t go smoothly because of gay people. If a woman only gives birth to girls, then that is because of a gay family member, who should be killed.

When our organization was formed, LGBTQI+ people started seeing each other and getting together. It was an opportunity to start creating a Chadian queer culture. We came up with strategies to connect and know each other, like congregating in a garden along with straight allies who could give us an alibi. But the violence made it impossible to stay. My hope for the future is that eventually, I can support LGBTQI+ people not only in Chad but also beyond, being part of the Rainbow Railroad network to help other people get to safety. We have been rejected by our families and by our country, but the family that we have is our community and the Rainbow Railroad family and support network.