Mayo-Kébbi — former prefecture of Chad

Geography and environment

The territory included a mixture of river corridors, floodplains and agricultural plains. Important waterways and small lakes supported fishing, seasonal irrigation and locally important wetland habitats. Climatic conditions transition from Sahelian to more humid Sudanian zones, which allowed a wider range of crops than in northern Chad.

Economy and society

Economic life in the area was largely rural and based on smallholder agriculture, livestock rearing and freshwater fishing. Towns such as Bongor functioned as market and transport centres where crops, fish and livestock were traded. Local communities included several ethnic groups and languages, reflecting the region’s position near national frontiers and river trade routes.

Administrative history and reform

Prefectures were a legacy of the colonial and post-colonial administrative structure. In 2002 Chad undertook a territorial reorganisation that replaced prefectures with regions as the principal subnational units. The former prefectural boundaries of Mayo-Kébbi were redistributed principally into the modern regions commonly referred to as Mayo-Kébbi Est and Mayo-Kébbi Ouest.

Key facts and legacy

• Capital: Bongor, a riverside market town.
• Named for: the Mayo Kébbi river system.
• Reorganisation: prefecture structure replaced by regions in 2002.
• Economy: agriculture, fishing and livestock were dominant.

Today the name Mayo-Kébbi survives in geographic descriptions and regional identities even though the formal prefectural unit no longer exists, and the area remains important for cross-border trade, freshwater resources and local agriculture.