Attachments
COVID-19 continues to impact the food situation in several areas of Chad
KEY MESSAGES
• The clashes between government forces and Boko Haram elements in March and April, combined with the state of emergency, curfew and government restrictions due to COVID-19, are exacerbating food insecurity in the Lac region despite household strategies. The livelihoods of host households in Lac continue to deteriorate due to pressure from newly displaced persons. As a result, consumption deficits are observed and the area is in Stressed (IPC Phase 2 !) with ongoing assistance.
• Households in the provinces of Barh el Gazel and Kanem, who normally depend on the markets for their food at this time of year, are experiencing a severe lack of food accessibility due to the total depletion of their cereal stocks and high food prices in the markets. The loss of these households’ means of production and their resulting low incomes are restricting their market access, meaning that they are unable to meet their food consumption needs and find themselves in Crisis (IPC Phase 3).
• Market functioning is impacted by traffic restrictions and border closures, which are affecting supply volumes. Faced with declining supply, demand is sluggish in most areas of the country. However, there are localized increases in food demand in Tibesti province, the Abdi department of the Ouaddai province, and Goz Beida in the Sila region.
• The nutritional situation among children aged 0-59 months is deteriorating in Barh el Gazel and Kanem due to the impact of COVID-19 on household food access coupled with poor sanitary conditions. In Lac, the influx of newly displaced persons has caused a deterioration in nutrition among children, despite the expansion of care interventions.