WASHINGTON'S DILEMMA IN CHAD;IS IT DEMOCRACY OR DEFENSE

Central African nation fights jihadists and resists Russian influence, but leader has been accused of seizing power Chad has a reputation for prowess at desert warfare and an 11,000-man elite antiterrorist unit.

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast—The Biden administration is in a bind over whether to provide military aid to Chad, one of Africa’s most reliable bulwarks against the spread of Islamist militants and an opponent of Russia’s growing influence in the Sahel region.