Kalthouma Nguembang

Kalthouma Nguembang was a Chadian politician, who was an early member of the Chadian Progressive Party (PPT). She was elected to the National Assembly of Chad in 1968, but was later imprisoned by François Tombalbaye who accused her of plotting against him.

Biography Nguembang was born in Chad some time in the early twentieth century, her date of birth is unknown and little is known about her early life. However it is known that one of her cousins was Félix Malloum, who became President of Chad from 1975 to 1978.

According to reports from the colonial French government, Nguembang joined the Chadian Progressive Party early on. The leader of the CPP, Gabriel Lisette, acknowledged her as an important figure in the early years of the party. In 1949 François Tombalbaye also praised Nguembang's effort in a speech in N’Djamena. She encouraged members of Chad's Sara people, to which she belonged, to vote for the CPP and spoke out for their rights. However by 1968 she was the only woman in the National Assembly. However, Nguembang was imprisoned from 1968 to 1969. The plot was said to have involved the hiring of diviners, who would unleash supernatural powers against Tombalbaye. On 9 April 1973, Nguembang was sentenced to seven years imprisoned with hard labour. During her imprisonment she was tortured.

After Toumbalbaye was murdered in the 1975 Chadian coup, Nguembang was released from prison. After her release, she took no further part in politics and emigrated to Nigeria, where she died.

Personal life Nguembang married Tahir Abdeldjelil, who was a member of the Chadian Progressive Party and related to the sultanate of Wadai.

Historiography The important role of women in Chad's early political development has been severely neglected and sometimes erased - Nguembang's role in its early politics is an example of this erasure.