Bardaï () is a small town and

oasis In ecology, an oasis (; : oases ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment Chad Chad, officially the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of North Africa, North and Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to Chad–Libya border, the north, Sudan to Chad–Sudan border, the east, the Central Afric ...

. It is the main town of the

Tibesti Region Tibesti Region () is a province of Chad, located in far northwest of the country. Its capital is Bardaï. It was created in 2008 when the former Borkou-Ennedi-Tibesti Region was split into three, with the Tibesti Department becoming the Tibes ...

, which was formed in 2008 from the Tibesti Department of the former

Bourkou-Ennedi-Tibesti region The Borkou-Ennedi-Tibesti (BET) was until 2008 one of the then 18 regions of Chad, its capital being Faya-Largeau. It comprised the former Borkou-Ennedi-Tibesti Prefecture. Most of the region was part of the Sahara desert. In 2008, this region ...

History

The first European who reported Bardaï was the German explorer

Gustav Nachtigal Gustav Nachtigal (; born 23 February 1834 – 20 April 1885) was a German military surgeon and explorer of Central and West Africa. He is further known as the German Empire's consul-general for Tunisia and Commissioner for West Africa. His miss ...

. He reached Bardaï on 8 August 1869, but had to flee on 3–4 September because of the hostile attitude of the local Toubou population. The town was invaded by the Turks in around 1908, and by 1911 they had 60 men and six cannons in Bardaï. Bardaï came to international attention in 1974, when a rebel group, led by

Hissène Habré Hissène Habré (Arabic: ''Ḥusaīn Ḥabrī'', Chadian Arabic: ; ; 13 August 1942 – 24 August 2021), also spelled Hissen Habré, was a Chadian politician and convicted war criminal who served as the 5th president of Chad from 1982 unt ...

, attacked the town and captured a French archaeologist,

Françoise Claustre Françoise Claustre (8 February 1937 – 3 September 2006), was a French archaeologist. Life and career Claustre was taken hostage by a group of Chadian rebels, led by Hissène Habré, on 20 April 1974, at Bardaï, in the Tibesti Mountai ...

, and two other European citizens. The rebels established an anti-French radio station here during the civil war, which was known as the "Voice of Liberation of Chad", or Radio Bardaï. An opposition government led by Goukouni Oueddei was established here with Libyan military backing in the early 1980s. In December 1986, Habré forces attacked the Libyans at Bardaï. The Tedaga language is spoken within the Bardaï area of northern Chad, although the Dazaga language is a secondary language. The town is served by Zougra Airport. The local football team is General Sal Football club.

References

Populated places in Chad Tibesti Region Oases of Chad Tibesti Mountains {{Chad-geo-stub