UN Humanitarian Coordinator Calls For International Help to Solve Crisis in Eastern Chad
By Robert Valencia
Eastern Chad has experienced a humanitarian crisis fueled by a massive influx of refugees from the Central African Republic and Darfur that has strained the capacity of local environment and basic infrastructure, a United Nations aid official told reporters at a UN Headquarters press conference held on March 13.
UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Chad, Mr. Kingsley Amaning, said that more than 10,000 people from Darfur had crossed the border to seek refuge in the 12 official camps in Eastern Chad. “It is important that the world knows what is going on in Chad”, Mr. Amaning said. “The crisis had brought about large-scale human suffering, threats, and abuse of, human life and denial of the opportunity for thousands of people to live in dignity”.
A new exodus has joined the 250,000 Darfurians who have already lived in Chad since 2004, while the number of refugees from Central African Republic has risen from 45,00 to 75,000 in the last couple of months. “We are worried that this number will increase”, Mr. Amaning said. “This situation causes logistical problems”. He said the 250,000 people in the area represented a major problem due to the inhospitable environment, which normally cannot sustain more than 20,000 people. Meanwhile, the growing number of people has exerted extreme pressure on the water and energy supply, as well as health care services and education facilities.
Living standards in the region have seriously deteriorated in the last four to five years, Mr. Amaning noted. He mentioned that many male children are recruited in armed groups, risking their lives in confrontations and violent acts. He claimed that in order to decrease the amount of weapons in the area, the first step is to “find a solution to the crisis and to ensure a return to normalcy”, and to promote disarmament and demobilisation. He cited the importance of encouraging people to resolve their differences without using arms as the last resort.
The situation, according to Mr. Amaning, has worsened due to the remoteness of the eastern part of Chad, a landlocked country. Most of the food aid and other supplies came from Tripoli, Libya, and Douala, Cameroon. The delivery of goods is almost impossible: Truck drivers face treacherous roads, sand dunes and armed groups that have increasingly attacked UN convoys and other relief organizations. He claimed that 80 vehicles have been hijacked or stolen in the area in recent times and, on average, there had been eight armed incursions and military operations each rainy season since 2006.
Mr. Amaning praised the international community’s effort, which has been relatively helpful in trying to remedy the situation and to relieve the suffering of the refugees. “If they are alive today, it is thanks to the international support that we, as humanitarians, have received and what has been translated into vigorous assistance and protection programmes for these hundreds of thousands of people”, he said. Nonetheless, he added that the growing population in Eastern Chad required the presence of aid agencies and a large amount of money. He noted that only two per cent of the US$240 million pledged was received since the commitment was made last December.
According to Mr. Amaning, humanitarian organizations have had difficulties to perform their everyday duties when heavily armed rebels attempted to overthrow the government of Chad last February in the country’s capital city, N’Djamena, causing some of the personnel to evacuate the area. Despite safety concerns and the urgent need to replenish stocks, the United Nations had continued to provide food, as well as water and health facilities, he said.
