Chad: Situation in the Lac region and impact of the Nigerian crisis Situation Report n° 26 (25/08/2017)

Highlights

• The rainy season and rising waters of lake Chad coincide with the end of Operation Rawan Kada of the Multinational Joint Taskforce in Niger and Nigeria.

• In July, population movements of an estimated 5,000 people were reported from Kaiga Kindjiria and Tchoukoutalia areas.

• Two waves of displacements from Niger were reported in Baga Sola area following the withdrawal of Chadian troops from Niger, creating the two new sites of Dar-el-Kheir and Dar-al-Amin where more than 5,000 newly arrived people are settled.

• 192 protection incidents and 151 cases of gender-based violence were reported in June.

• Only 26.3% of the $ 121 million required in 2017 (US $ 31.8 million received) for the response to the crisis in the Lac region of Chad have been covered.

Situation Overview

The rainy season and rising waters of Lake Chad coincide with the end of Operation Rawan Kada of the Multinational Joint Taskforce in Niger and Nigeria, which started in February 2017 and concluded in early July. In the context of military operations, about ten security incidents attributed to an armed group were reported in Chad in May and June and affected the protection of civilians. In July, the security situation was relatively calm, however, new attacks and protection incidents could occur, particularly in the areas from which the military withdrew, which could create security vacuums.

Humanitarian access remains limited in areas west of the Daboua - Kaiga Kindjiria - Tchoukoutalia - Ngouboua axis and south of Baga Sola towards Kangalom and the border areas. Island areas remain difficult operating environments due to security and physical access constraints. A partial response is underway south of Bol thanks to the US $ 3.5 million funding from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), but strengthening of security is needed to expand the interventions and number of operational partners in these areas. In addition, the two assessments conducted in the island areas in February 2017 (14 villages south of Bol) and June 2017 (5 villages in Kangalom sub-prefecture) identified approximately 51,000 people in 19 villages, but it is necessary to deepen the knowledge of the situation in the island areas in order to put in place a response matching the identified vulnerabilities.

The feeling of insecurity caused by attacks attributed to an armed group as well as military movements resulted in multiple population displacements. Nearly 5,000 people fled their villages around Kaiga Kindjiria and Tchoukoutalia, creating the two new sites of Kengua (Kiskra canton, Fouli department) and Kane Ngouboua (Diameron). In Kengua, 1,538 people, including 44 per cent of women and 44 per cent of children, are estimated to have fled their villages in Tchoukoutalia area (Kagrerom 1, Kagrerom 2, Wangui, Ngollom and Leletoua) in June following the attack in Wangui on 27 May 2017. A multisector assessment was conducted on 12 July in Kengua and identified vulnerabilities, particularly in the sectors of water, food security and shelter. Some partners have already planned interventions in the sectors of water, hygiene and sanitation (WASH), and health. In Kane Ngouboua, approximately 1,500 people arrived from Kaiga Kindjiria area. The verifications and identification of vulnerabilities are still ongoing. In addition, the NGO ACTED reported movements of about 1,900 people in July in seven sites on the Liwa-Daboua axis. Among them, 1,600 people come from Kaiga Kindjiria area, and more than 300 came from Niger for fear of attacks by an armed group.

Two waves of displacements from Niger have been reported in Baga Sola area following the withdrawal of Chadian troops in Niger. Following an alert by CNARR – the Chadian Refugee Commission, the humanitarian community has noted the arrival, since 19 July, of several thousand people on a new site called Dar-el-Kheir, 14 km from Baga Sola. Registration operations finalized on 15 August by UNHCR and CNARR confirmed the arrival of 4,634 people, mostly women and children. An initial assistance in non-food items (including tarpaulins) by UNHCR and food rations by WFP was carried out to stabilize the situation pending further analysis of possible vulnerabilities. The NGO IRC also finalized six out of seven planned boreholes and is planning the distribution of WASH kits and the construction of latrines to meet the water, hygiene and sanitation needs of the population. The vaccination of children was carried out by UNICEF. People have access to health care through the mobile clinics covering Dar-al-Nahim site, less than a kilometer away. Moreover, following an alert by local authorities on 14 August, humanitarian partners have noted the arrival since 6 August of populations from the Peuhl community on a site called Dar-al-Amin near Dar-es-Salam refugee camp. According to estimates by humanitarian partners during a mission to Dar-al-Amin carried out on 15 August, about 600 people have reportedly arrived on the site. No vulnerabilities requiring an emergency response have been identified.

In both cases, the populations are reportedly nomadic communities originally from central Chad (from Batha region on Dar-el-Kheir site, from Kanem region on Dar-al-Amin site), who left Chad several decades ago to settle in Niger in border areas. These two displacements were mainly motivated by a feeling of insecurity and fear of attacks after the withdrawal of the Chadian troops from Niger, as well as the hope of receiving humanitarian assistance in Chad, following exchanges with acquaintances already present in Baga Sola area.

Given this trend, it is essential to better understand the causes of these population movements, especially during the current period marked by traditional movements linked to transhumance and the beginning of the agricultural season. This analysis will ensure that assistance is based on vulnerabilities, and will avoid creating a pull factor for communities. The determination of the status of these newly displaced persons (refugees, returnees, internally displaced persons) by competent authorities is also a key issue.

Following the alert of the influx of people to Dar-el-Kheir, a Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) mission visited the Lac region from 2 to 4 August 2017. Led by the Humanitarian Coordinator, UNHCR, WFP, UNICEF and OCHA participated in the mission, as well as the Permanent Secretary of CNARR. The mission met with authorities, displaced communities in Dar-el-Kheir, the humanitarian community in the Lac region, and with displaced persons at Koulkimé 1 and 3 sites.

In order to identify residual vulnerabilities in the region's displacement locations, severity maps have been developed in each sector and highlight the response level and gaps per site. The consolidation of these sectoral analyzes makes it possible to identify the displacement locations (sites and villages) with the most severe multisector vulnerabilities, where new interventions must be directed. The severity map below underlines that the highest vulnerabilities are in the sites and villages of Ngouboua area and on the Daboua-Sabre Kouta axis.