Background
BAROUM Jacques was born on July 13, 1932, at Lai, on the Mbere River.
BAROUM Jacques was born on July 13, 1932, at Lai, on the Mbere River.
He went to primary schools in Chad, then to the Bongor Modern College and to the Savorgnan- de-Brazza High School, Brazzaville, before studying at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Paris, from 1953 until 1962. Graduating in 1960 as the first Chadian MD, he took diplomas in Malariology, Tropical Medicine and Pediatrics. He also holds a diploma from the Ecole Supérieure des Cadres at Brazzaville (1953) and another from the Institute of Economic Development, Paris (1962).
From 1962 until 1964 he was Chief Medical Officer at the Pediatrics Department of the Fort Lamy Central Hospital. In 1963 he had been elected to the National Political Bureau of the PPT.
In January 1964 he became Minister of Health and Social Affairs, in November, Minister of Foreign Affairs, a portfolio he held for seven years, a rare feat in Chadian politics. Following the May 23, 1971, reshuffle, he was reappointed Minister of Health. At the party congress of March 1971 he was elected vice-chairman of the Political and Institutional Affairs Commission.
A capable doctor, very careful of what he says at all times, he has kept himself as far as possible from the different political cliques in Chad. This apparent aloofness was greatly appreciated by President Tombalbaye who kept him as Foreign Minister for long enough to create a new foreign policy for his country.