In Chad, the concept of property is not the same as we may be used to.
It is very difficult to obtain land titles, to set boundaries, or even to have a reliable place to live ...
Here's what one of our friends wrote a few days ago:

Dear Families and Friends,
There are at least 2,500 families who have had to abandon their homes. This includes about a total of about 12,000 people. During the past two weeks, the residents of the Jardin d'Essai suburb in the town of Farcha near the capital fought so that their homes would not be destroyed. Every day the news was different: one day the news was, "Everything will be destroyed!", and the next day it would be "The suburb will not be destroyed!"
Two days earlier, the neighborhood was in a festive mood, because we thought we had obtained the victory. But yesterday afternoon, the definitive and overwhelming news came: At 6:00 AM, the bulldozers will be here. "
We worked all night to help some of our friends who lived in the neighborhood. Remove the aluminum roofing, get the wood, doors, and window frames... Everyone worked to recover as much as possible of the construction equipment that made up their homes.
Many people had lived in the neighborhood for 30, 40 or 50 years. Thousands of children were born here, and know nothing more than this, their neighborhood. The trauma the families in this neighborhood are feeling is very significant! This morning, the bulldozers arrived and began their work of destruction. Many voices were raised with opinions about the reasons for this decision, but it is possible that we will never know what the reason was! Only God knows and will judge!

Prayer Requests:

• Pray for all these families who have been driven from their homes.
• Pray for those who do not yet have a place to relocate.
• Pray for the authorities, that they may be guided by God in their decisions.
• Pray without tiring, so that the light of the Gospel would bring real change.
• The Jardin d'Essai Church was also demolished. Pray for the Christians and the Church of Chad who have been hit hard to be salt and light.

Here dear friends is a situation that affects not only a section of the population, but also a church and many of its members.
What to do? As you read, we must pray. But we have also taken the decision to help. The mission will assist the Pastor of the Jardin d'Essai Church.
A steering group was set up in Chad, with an initial list of about thirty families arrested and an initial identification of provisional solutions to this emergency.

To find out how you can financially assist families affected by this tragedy, please visit the AMIP website.

Life in N'Djaména just got harder

In a bold move, the Chadian government has forbidden the use of wood charcoal in the capital city. According to a press release by the Party for Liberties and Development, wives and mothers no longer know how to prepare food for their children and their husbands. The price of fava beans, which the youth love so much to eat, has more than doubled. Cereal prices have soared in all markets. Finding firewood and coal, the only sources of domestic energy for the vast majority, has become an ordeal.

The Government has also adopted a series of tax measures in its finance law which will make the lives of the poorest Chadian citizens very, very difficult. They will be increasing the prices of construction materials, placing levy taxes on various houses and imposing other taxes which will eventually cause everyone to be homeless. Not long ago, the Government massively destroyed the homes of peaceful N'Djaména residents. Today it prevents them from preparing food, tomorrow it will increase the burden of taxes.

It is hard to understand how the Chadian government can prohibit the use of wood and coal, without proposing domestic energy alternatives. Many people will interpret this situation in a negative light, saying that the Chadian government has once again shown its contempt for all Chadians. Please pray that they will be aware of the danger of their acts to the security of their future, and that viable solutions would be found for them to promote the growth and development of their nation.

Links:
The original press release
IRIN article: Panic, outcry at government charcoal ban