Recently the Central African country of Chad has been mentioned in mainstream media because of Donald Trump's ban on Chadians traveling to the US. Although the country has a dubious election history, the ban is seen as nonsensical due to Chad's role as a stabilizing force in the sub-Saharan region. In fact, on 8 September 2017, Chadian President Idriss Déby visited Paris to sign an agreement with the European Union which will send Chad 8.3 billion euros in funding from 2017 to 2021. The plan aims to help the country recover from a severe economic crisis. Some see this move as a reflection of the strategic importance of Chad in its involvement in the fight against terrorism. However, despite this monetary show of support, domestic political pressures are threatening Chad from within and could affect its role as a stabilizing force in the region. Idriss Déby came to power in 1990 after toppling then-Chadian president Hissène Habré with the help of the French secret service. In April 2016, Déby gained a fifth term in elections and has since managed to tighten his power further, despite numerous attempts to overthrow him. He has since succeeded in positioning Chad as an unavoidable partner for international security on the continent. During his recent trip to Paris, Déby was congratulated by French Prime Minister Edouard Philipe and French President Emmanuel Macron for his work against terrorist groups in the area. During a recent speech in Paris, Macron pointed to the fight against terrorism as a main priority for his administration. As a result, the financial aid offered to Chad is seen as a means of maintaining the stability of this strong partner in the region. Chad's importance to Western countries can be seen in its geographic location and the history of its involvement in campaigns directed at stabilizing the area. Chad is located at the crossroads of Northern Africa. Chad's neighbors, specifically Nigeria, South Sudan, and Libya, are three countries where the extremist threat is present, most notably with Boko Haram in Nigeria. Due to its geographic position, Chad is seen as strategic for French and western countries’ interests in the fight against terrorism. Chad is an important member of the G5 Sahel coalition which alongside Mali, Mauritania, Burkina Faso and Niger, seeks to strengthen cooperation and security in the Sahel region. As part of the operation Barkhane, an anti-insurgent operation in the Sahel region, Chad houses an important French military contingent made up of a 3000-strong French force headquartered in the capital, N’Djamena. It is also one of the rare African states that has a history of being a sheriff in the region. Daniel Eizenga, a Chadian political science researcher, explains: The Chadian government then held several negotiations with the rebel groups and the Sudanese government which had been providing a safe haven for the rebel groups. After the negotiations, and following an agreement between Chad and Sudan, the national military integrated most rebel forces. This provided a degree of stability even if some rebel groups continue to contest Déby’s authority. The election of Emmanuel Macron will most likely reinforce the ties between both countries, given the focus of the fight against extremist groups, Boko Haram and AQIM. The International Crisis Group explains the situation: Boko Haram’s presence in Chad has been most strongly felt around Lake Chad, which lies primarily within Chadian territory. The area combines rich agriculture, pastoralism and fishing and is a magnet for migrants from all over the Sahel, leading to tensions over control of resources. Boko Haram has taken advantage of the geography of the lake seeking refuge on its many islands. To counter the ongoing threat while responding to the immediate and longer-term needs of the population, Chadian authorities need to build on the relatively successful regional security cooperation, start to move away from their highly militarised response to include a more significant civilian component Idriss Déby deployed its soldiers on multiple fronts, in the Central African Republic, in Mali and more recently in the Lake Chad basin to fight Boko Haram, pursuing a strategy of military diplomacy to lead the fight against terrorism in the region. Military spending has also helped Chad to expand its involvement outside of African borders, as they back the Saudi Arabia-led coalition to fight Houthis combatants in Yemen. Chad is also an important partner in the current migration crisis, as many refugees are trying to reach Libya by crossing the Chadian border. Over the last five years, many Sudanese people have also found refuge in the country.