Chad: Quick Alerts - 9 October 2020

HEALTH SITUATION

COVID-19 update

As of 7 October, there have been 1,262 reported cases and 89 deaths in 17 provinces. Between 4 and 7 October, there have been 36 new cases in N’Djamena and in the southern provinces of Moyen-Chari, Mayo-Kebbi ouest and Logone occidental. The health state of emergency, scheduled to end on 17 October, is expected to be renewed for a third time as the country has shown no sign of easing in restrictions and case flare-ups continue to occur. According to the local press, universities in N’Djamena are experiencing difficulty in upholding barrier measures among students: only two out of 10 students comply with them. Meanwhile, in the East, the number of chikungunya cases now stands at 35,109 as of 5 October. (WHO situational reports)

SECURITY

Lac province
More people move as NSAG attacks continue: On 1 October, IOM assessed the situation of 200 households (710 individuals) who moved to distance themselves from the risk of NSAG attacks from Ngouboua Fourkoulom to the site of Fourkoulom. They are in urgent need of food, shelter and water. Incursions and attacks by non-state armed groups (NSAG) continue to ravage the Lac province, resulting in internal displacement. People are also moving as they are affected by floods in the province. Recent assessments conducted on 14 sites in the Lac province revealed the presence of nearly 97,000 people displaced due to both flooding and NSAG attacks. (IOM)

G5 Sahel
Second Chadian battalion to be deployed in Sahel’s three-border area: During the eighth Council of Ministers of the G5 Sahel in Nouakchott on 5 October, the head of Chadian diplomacy, Amine Abba Sidick, announced the deployment of a second Chadian battalion of the Joint Force of the G5 in the central zone of the three borders between Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. Despite the unstable security situation in the Lake Chad region, President Deby sees this new deployment as a way to coordinate efforts in the fight against terrorism in the region. This deployment has been received positively by the Ministers of the G5 Sahel who addressed their “deep appreciation towards the Marshal of Chad, the Chadian Government and Chadian people for this show of solidarity". This deployment will be the first for the Chadian army since the Bohoma attack last March, after which all deployments abroad had been suspended.

On 24 September, the eastern operation of the G5 Sahel captured 23 weapons in Wour, Tibesti province, in the North of Chad. Ten of these weapons were taken during camp searches, and 13 others were taken during civilian searches in the sector. The G5 units deployed in this zone are to increase their activities to protect and secure civilian populations and their assets. The G5 Sahel covers a 5 million km² space with a population of 60 million. (press)

Tibesti, Borkou, Ennedi-ouest
Chadian authorities to forcibly remove illegal goldminers: The Ministers of Public security, Territorial administration, Armed forces, and Oil and Mines, have been instructed to take all necessary measures to ensure “the immediate closure of all illegal goldmining sites across national territory”, except for those already approved and certified by the mining sector. Such measures include the ousting of all goldminers from illegally occupied sites and the transfer of all illegal foreigners back to their countries of origin. Illegal goldmining has been formally forbidden across the country since 2016. The Government recalled that the decision to ban illegal gold mining activities had been issued to the illegal miners in the Tibesti province in the aftermath of the attacks by the CCMSR rebel movement in 2018. Despite these orders, illegal goldmining has been ongoing in the northern provinces of Chad (Tibesti, Borkou, Ennedi), resulting in frequent clashes between goldminers and rebel groups. Back in June, miners and bandits clashed near the border with Libya, resulting in 24 dead and several wounded. The North of Chad, remote and difficult to control, has also recorded a surge in deportations of Chadians from Libya, arriving in dire conditions and in urgent need of food, water and shelter. During the month of September alone, 129 cases of deportation were reported, bringing the total recorded since April 2020 to 802. (press and IOM)