Ngarta Tombalbaye: The Strange Dictator from Chad

Sat, 13 Dec 2025 13:28:58 +0000

This was Francois Ngarta Tombalbaye, the former President of the nation of Chad and one of the most strange dictators the continent has ever had.

When he was at the helm, Tombalbaye put in place some strange policies which raised quite a few eyebrows and led to a disgruntled populace… For instance, as part of an authenticity campaign called Chaditude, he ordered all high government officials, civil servants and military officers to undergo a tradition called Yondo, which was a sometimes fatal initiation ritual.

The Yondo ordeal, which Tombalbaye himself underwent as an adolescent, is known to involve flogging, facial scarring, drugging and mock burials…

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Sources:

Zuber, D. (2022, March 16). François Tombalbaye (1918-1975). BlackPast.org. https://www.blackpast.org/glob....al-african-history/p

https://www.theafricareport.co....m/142682/chads-first

https://www.globalsecurity.org..../military/world/afri

https://www.sahistory.org.za/place/chad

http://content.time.com/time/s....ubscriber/article/0,

https://content.time.com/time/....subscriber/article/0

https://www.knowyourdictators.....com/post/march-2020-

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Music:

Cambodian Odyssey by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Source: http://incompetech.com/music/r....oyalty-free/index.ht
Artist: http://incompetech.com/

Firesong by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100598
Artist: http://incompetech.com/

Drums of the Deep by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1400021
Artist: http://incompetech.com/

Kai Engel - Silence
Neoclassical, Soundtrack
License: CC BY-NC 4.0

John Stockton Slow Drag by Chris Zabriskie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Source: http://chriszabriskie.com/uvp/
Artist: http://chriszabriskie.com/

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