Chad: Quick Alerts - 16 July 2021

HUMANITARIAN SITUATION

Country-wide
Government calls for humanitarian assistance in anticipation of upcoming floods: On 6 July, the Chadian Minister of Economy, Development Planning and International Cooperation, Dr Issa Doubragne, addressed an official request to the RC/HC for the “planning and implementation of protection and assistance measures at national level” in case of floods. The letter requests the HC to support the Ministry of Health in the event of a flood-related crisis. The Minister included a provision of needs with the letter: it is expected that 10,200 food and non-food kits will be needed in 14 provinces at risk of floods, for an estimated budget of more than 1.2 billion XAF (2.3 million USD). The HC will meet with the Minister shortly to discuss possibilities of assistance from the humanitarian community in Chad.
(HC, Chadian Government)

Ennedi-ouest
Severe rain leaves 80 per cent of village damaged and 850 people affected: Through its Emergency Tracking Tool (ETT), IOM reported 120 households (850 individuals) impacted by heavy rains and severe flooding on 7 July, in the village of Wadi-Doum, 215 kms from Faya. The flooding has caused critical damage to homes, businesses and community gardens: all 10 community gardens, which were the community’s main sources of food, were gravely damaged, 120 houses have been flooded, leaving 99 households without shelter. Almost half of all wells -the only water sources in this desert area- were partially damaged and two of the three latrines in the village were completely damaged. Water levels are decreasing slowly but approximately 80 per cent of Wadi-Doum has reportedly sustained serious material damages. The most urgent needs remain in food, shelter and NFIs. The affected population is also at risk of flooding-related diseases like malaria and typhoid.
(IOM)

Logone oriental, Mandoul
ECHO conducts mission to assess humanitarian needs and gaps of the newly displaced: A delegation from the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) conducted a field mission from 6 to 10 July in southern Chad, more specifically in the Nya Pende department (Logone oriental) and in Barh Sara (Mandoul). Following recent cross-border population movements in April and May 2021 along the Central African border, the mission intended to assess the humanitarian situation, particularly the situation of refugees in light of ECHO’s financial support to UNHCR projects in the South. The delegation visited the Doholo camp, host villages on the Bekan axis as well as a site on the Bédégué – Moissala axis currently hosting over 6,000 refugees who live under precarious conditions. Over the course of the mission, OCHA presented the gaps in humanitarian needs in the South, new challenges emerging after recent displacements and the recurring underfunding of the region despite its vulnerability.
(OCHA, UNHCR, ECHO)

Moyen-Chari
Number of returnees from CAR double following new influx of displaced: Between 3 June and 2 July, due to growing insecurity in northern Central African Republic (CAR), 1,144 Chadian households (5,042 individuals) crossed the border to take shelter in six different localities in the Grande Sido department (Moyen-Chari). These 5,042 returnees add up to the 6,457 that IOM had identified in May 2021 in the same department. The new returnees are primarily in need of food, shelter and NFIs. A considerable number of these returnees were herders in CAR and have arrived with their cattle on Chadian agricultural lands. Local authorities have expressed concern over the risk of intercommunal conflicts arising because of these massive population movements, and have therefore asked for support to prevent these types of conflicts.
(IOM)

HUMANITARIAN FUNDING

Lac province
Germany donates 5 million EUR to UNHCR for refugee protection activities: In 2020 and 2021, Germany allocated 8 million EUR to UNHCR for refugee protection activities in the Lake Chad region across four countries concerned: Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria. This new allocation of 5 million EUR is meant to finance protection and assistance activities for refugees, internally displaced persons (IDPs) and host communities, in the face of COVID-19. The objective is to help mitigate the severe impacts of a multi-dimensional crisis, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which is affecting host communities with a particularly large impact in the Lac province. UNHCR chief in Chad, Papa Kysma Sylla, stated that “the funds will strengthen access to basic services for IDPs and host communities in various sectors such as shelter, health, water, sanitation, livelihoods and education, while improving protection for people with special needs. At the same time, they will also strengthen peaceful coexistence and community mobilization”. As of 31 May, Chad hosts 1,018,429 displaced people, including more than 504,587 refugees and 401,511 IDPs in the Lac Province. The security situation in this province has worsened due to non-state armed groups activities. The affected populations face many challenges, including limited access to livelihood activities, and depend primarily on humanitarian assistance.
(press, UNHCR)