 The Toyota War is the name commonly given to the last phase of the Chadian – Libyan conflict , which took place in 1987 in Northern Chad and on the Libyan – Chadian border . It takes its name from the Toyota pickup trucks used as technicals to provide mobility for the Chadian troops as they fought against the Libyans . The 1987 war resulted in a heavy defeat for Libya , which , according to American sources , lost one tenth of its army , with 7 @,@ 500 men killed and US $ 1 @.@ 5 billion worth of military equipment destroyed or captured . Chadian losses were 1 @,@ 000 men killed . 
