Education Reform: With UNESCO’s UIL support under a GPE-funded project, Chad is moving ahead on the PRET plan to expand learning for young people and adults shut out of formal schooling, after completing two national assessments on non-formal basic education capacity needs and curriculum review. Russia-Chad Ties: Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met Chad’s top diplomat Abdoulaye Sabre Fadoul, stressing growing bilateral cooperation and pointing to a 2024 Moscow visit that set a structured cooperation framework, plus a new visa-free deal for holders of diplomatic and service passports. Regional Integration Push: President Mahamat Idriss Deby announced that Chad of Toumaï will abolish entry visas for all Africans from Jan. 1, 2027, making Chad the eighth country to join the visa-free movement. Water Crisis Focus: The African Water Forum opened in N’Djamena with leaders warning that hundreds of millions still lack safe drinking water and calling for faster action on water governance and funding. Scholarships: Russia is set to increase scholarships for Chadian students to 360. Security & Justice: Rights groups renewed pressure for UN action over alleged UAE support linked to Sudan atrocities, while Amnesty criticized US attacks on the ICC as undermining international justice.