Following independence from France in 1960, Chad has endured three decades of civil warfare as well as invasions by Libya before peace was restored in 1990. However, the political situation has remained unstable. President Deby, in power since 1990, faces an armed rebellion by several groups and incursions from neighboring Sudan. A semi-desert country in Central Africa, Chad is rich in gold and uranium and stands to benefit from its recently-acquired status as an oil-exporting state. However, Chad’s economic development has long suffered from its landlocked position, inadequate infrastructure, weak governance, and political instability. The country is among the poorest and least developed in the world, and is highly dependent on foreign assistance. Despite the recent development of its petroleum sector, agriculture remains the backbone of the economy, with more than 80 percent of the population dependent on subsistence farming, herding and fishing for their livelihood.