During more than twenty years of domestic conflict, the agencies of public order and the judiciary in Chad were severely disrupted. In areas of rebel activity in the south and in regions of the north under Libyan domination, the forces of civil protection and the system of criminal justice disintegrated. Where the national government was able to reimpose its authority, harsh and arbitrary martial law often resulted in mistreatment, torture, and extrajudicial detentions and executions. By 1986 efforts were under way to rebuild the civilian legal system, although long periods of detention without trial were still common, and the rights of accused persons were not fully respected during court proceedings (see Judicial System , ch. 4). The various elements of the police responsible for domestic security continued to reflect the strong influence of the military. Abuses by unsupervised military authorities, however, had diminished as a result of the Habré government's attempt to impose greater discipline and control.

Data as of December 1988