On April 12th, 2006, rebels charged through the streets of N’Djamena, Chad’s capitol city, intent on seizing power from current President Deby. The attempted coup failed that day, but the rebels haven’t given up yet. They’re rumored to be circulating just outside the city, waiting for another opportunity to pounce. Why the sudden interest in leading this indigent nation?

Chad, one of the poorest nations in the world, has recently stumbled upon a modern day goldmine – oil. For the first time, the sweet smell of crude oil is filling the air with dreams of wealth and stability. This inky promise has been enough to arouse greed in both the government and the rebels.

The World Bank has, until recently, been funding construction of a pipeline running from Chad’s valuable oil fields to the sea, liberating their land-locked crude for sale on the world market. Everyone is eagerly awaiting the money that will no doubt follow the pipeline. Being such an impoverished nation, the World Bank stipulated that a large majority of the income go to development and alleviating poverty. Chadian leaders initially agreed, but recently decided that they should have the power to allocate the oil money when and where they chose. The World Bank has since stopped funding Chad’s development.

The World Bank has good reason to be worried. The African Union has estimated that corruption costs Africa $150 billion every year. All too often, money that is desperately needed to keep people healthy and alive is used to fund the opulent lifestyles of an elite few.

Throughout many African nations, corruption seeps through almost every service. Even teachers and doctors are not immune to taking bribes in return for higher grades or better treatment. At the highest level, leaders of nations are living well beyond their means while their countries are steeped in intense and deadly poverty. This type of spending begets an negative feedback loop that Africa cannot afford: as foreign investors watch their money go to waste, they are less likely to provide more funding, and African nations are left in an even more desperate state.

Much of this corrupt behavior is not the result of an ideology of selfishness; rather, a desperately impoverished state leaves many people with no choice but to take bribes in order to feed their families. Most African countries only unlocked the shackles of colonial control within the past three decades and are still struggling to get on their feet and overcome the oppressive, exploitive infrastructure left behind by the colonial regimes. This does not excuse the despotic leaders who surround themselves with lavish luxuries, but it does help to shed light on middleclass corruption. It also suggests that the solution lies in developing Africa to eliminate such despair. Doing that is, of course, the hard part.

Only well-planned, compassionate and binding development projects will help raise this continent out of corruption and despair. Along with development, democracy will help. With multi-party systems, individuals will be more accountable for their actions because of opponent’s watchful eyes. The authoritarian colonial legacy unfortunately left room for all-powerful leaders, but as this fades, so too will the corruption.

The World Bank is right to stop funding a program that they believe will not help the country get out of its desperate situation, but it is heartbreaking to see Chad sacrifice such needed development and money. While Africa as a whole waits to see these ideas of reform come to fruition, Chad sits on the brink of a bloody power struggle, and the resource that could make stability a reality stays locked up in greedy politics.

Originally published by InternationalistMag.com on April 21, 2006