Note: The last fact sheet was dated January 30, 2007.
KEY DEVELOPMENTS
- On April 18, a USAID/OFDA airlift containing emergency relief supplies, including plastic sheeting, water containers, and hygiene kits, arrived in Abeche, eastern Chad. Consigned to the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), these relief commodities will assist 9,000 newly displaced Chadians and meet ongoing needs. U.S. Ambassador Marc M. Wall and a USAID representative traveled to Abeche to oversee the arrival of the commodities.
- On March 30, an Arab militia attacked Tiero and Marena villages, displacing approximately 9,000 people. The humanitarian community is assisting the displaced in the newly established Habile 2 internally displaced person (IDP) site, located near Goz Amer refugee camp in KouKou-Angarana. UNHCR estimated the number of dead to be between 200 and 400.
NUMBERS AT A GLANCE
|
SOURCE
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IDPs
|
| 140,000
| OCHA(1) - April 2007
Affected Host Population
|
| 700,000
| OCHA - November 2006
Sudanese Refugees
|
| 234,000
| OCHA - April 2007
Central African Republican Refugees
|
| 50,000
| OCHA - November 2006
|
FY 2007 HUMANITARIAN FUNDING PROVIDED TO DATE
USAID/OFDA Assistance to Chad: $583,529
USAID/FFP(2) Assistance to Chad: $27,542,400
USAID/OTI(3) Assistance to Chad: $118,188
State/PRM(4) Assistance to Chad: $15,864,616
Total USAID and State Humanitarian Assistance to Chad: $44,108,733
CURRENT SITUATION
- In February and March, the estimated number of IDPs rose from 112,000 to 140,000, according to OCHA. The IDP population has more than doubled since October 2006 as a result of interethnic conflict and militia attacks. Ongoing violence and the presence of more than 234,000 Sudanese refugees continues to strain local resources.
- USAID deployed a field officer to eastern Chad in March and April to build on the USAID Assessment Team's twoweek mission in the region in January. The field officer visited program sites in Bahai, Iriba, Guereda, and Goz Beida and reported that IDPs likely will not return home before the start of the rainy season in June.
- In March and April, State/PRM sent a two-person team to assess the refugee situation in eastern Chad. In response to growing needs, State/PRM plans to fund part of UNHCR's recent appeal to assist Chadian IDPs.
Internally Displaced Populations
- On March 8, the USAID field officer visited Koubigou IDP camp in Goz Beida. Humanitarian agencies reported that the estimated 5,000 IDPs who now reside in the camp fled repeated Arab militia attacks near Ade, approximately 125 kilometers northeast of Goz Beida. Despite earlier reports from U.N. agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the field officer did not observe tension between IDPs and refugees related to the different levels of assistance provided to each group.
Refugees
- On March 27, UNHCR issued a statement expressing concern over several incidents that occurred near refugee camps. On March 25, immediately following President Idriss Deby's visit, 13 people were injured in clashes involving alleged armed opposition group members in Kounoungou refugee camp, according to State/PRM. On March 22, Sudanese government planes bombed an area several kilometers from Oure Cassoni refugee camp, which is located five kilometers from the Sudan-Chad border and hosts 27,000 Sudanese refugees. According to UNHCR, two NGO staff and several Chadian civilians were injured as a result of the attack.
- Through UNHCR, State/PRM funds Chadian gendarmes to provide security around refugee camps and escort humanitarian workers. According to State/PRM, the gendarmes remain under-equipped. The U.S. Embassy in N'Djamena continues to urge the Government of Chad to better support the gendarmes.
- Discussions between UNHCR and the Chadian government regarding the relocation of refugee camps farther from the border are ongoing. Insecurity and a lack of viable sites have precluded camp relocations. According to State/PRM, since the rainy season is approaching, moving the camps before the end of 2007 would be difficult.
Notes:
(1) U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
(2) USAID's Office of Food for Peace
(3) USAID's Office of Transition Initiatives
(4) U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration