7th February 2008 - Uncertainty is the only current outcome given the ongoing military confrontation in Chad. The humanitarian situation was dire before fighting erupted last week, but Action Against Hunger / Action Contre la Faim (ACF) is concerned the crisis will deteriorate further in N’Djamena and in the sprawling camps for refugees and internally displaced persons in the east. Meanwhile, populations fleeing into neighboring Cameroon are also in need, and ACF has sent an emergency team to assess the extent of the humanitarian crisis in northern Cameroon.

Approximately 30,000 Chadian refugees in Cameroon: ACF sends emergency team

Approx. 30,000 people have sought refuge in Cameroon in and around the border town of Kousseri following the violent fighting that erupted in the Chadian capital over the weekend. While an eerie calm seems to have returned to N’Djamena, access to food and water could rapidly deteriorate. An ACF team is on the ground to assess the most urgent needs of the refugees.

N’Djamena and the Rest of Chad: Cut-off and Isolated

The situation in the capital of N’Djamena also gives rise to many concerns. Many food warehouses and markets—including the central market—have been plundered or burnt down. Prices of food staples have dramatically increased and the city is nearly completely cut off from the provision of external supplies, with substantial decreases in trade. Trade elsewhere in the country is also severely limited as most goods and foodstuffs typically pass through the capital.

Humanitarian Assistance Hampered in Eastern Chad: Aid Not Reaching the Camps

In view of the current situation, the provision of assistance to Eastern Chad via the humanitarian corridor, established by the United Nations and NGO’s some years ago, has been disrupted. Until now, the majority of aid supplies for the camps sheltering 400,000 people – 220,000 refugees from Darfur and 180,000 internally displaced people – were transported via Abeche. With transport on a standstill, no supplies such as fuel and food are reaching Abeche any more.  Although people living in these camps are not at imminent risk, aid flows have seriously been hampered for the forthcoming weeks. Should humanitarian relief efforts continue to be hampered, the humanitarian situation in camps could rapidly deteriorate.

Due to the mounting insecurity, ACF evacuated some non-essential staff from N’Djamena and from Eastern Chad. Six international staff and their Chadian colleagues continue ACF’s programs in Abeche and Dogdore.

Action Against Hunger is active in the Dogdore camp for displaced people (Dar Silla) sheltering 30,000 people, implementing water and sanitation, food security and psychological support programmes.