UNITED NATIONS NATIONS UNIES

Humanitarian Needs and Response in Weekly Information Bulletin – 30 May 2008

Headlines Ö Four refugees injured and two gendarmes killed in continuing insecurity in eastern Chad. Ö USD 4,3 million from the Central Emergency Relief Fund (CERF) allocated for Central African refugees in southern Chad. Ö Newly-arrived refugees from Central African transferred new camp. Ö Secretary-General's Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict visits. Ö Limited health coverage in eastern Chad due to insecurity. Ö 521 children demobilised from armed groups and forces since February 2007. Ö 411 incidents of mine and unexploded explosive ordnance (UXO) recorded since 2005. Ö Consolidated Appeals Process mid-year review launched.

Context Eastern Chad continues to be affected by deteriorating security with persistent bandit attacks and sporadic clashes between armed groups. On 14 May, two gendarmes working for the governmental body in charge of the security of camps (CNAR) were killed and another one injured in a bandit attack 3km from Touloum camp (Iriba). One of the bandits was arrested by the police. On 25 May, clashes between elements of armed groups in the Am Naback (Iriba) refugee camp resulted in four refugees being wounded. Since the beginning of the year, around 40 cases of attacks targeting humanitarians and partners (including five fatal cases) in eastern Chad have been registered. To minimise logistical constraints caused by the onset of the rainy season, humanitarian actors have continued to pre-position food and non-food items in their areas of intervention despite the limited resources.

Needs and reponse by sector

Water and sanitation Internally displaced persons (IDPs) and local populations • Aiming to improve IDPs’ sanitary conditions and to ensure that SPHERE standards are brought to the recommended level (20-30 persons per latrine), 75 double cubicle latrines have been completed in Habile, Koukou-Angarana, IDP site by the NGO Intersos. • Work is ongoing on 104 separated latrines in schools in the IDPs sites of Gassire, Gouroukoun, Koloma and Koubigou (in Goz Beida). • UNICEF and Oxfam Intermon are conducting hygiene sensitisation campaigns among 45,000 IDPs and host communities in the sites of Habile and Aradib (in Koukou-Angarana). • 60,000 soap bars have been distributed in Habile. UNICEF and its partner, International Relief and Development (IRD), are pre-positioning 12,500 boxes of soap in Goz Beida to cover IDPs’ needs during the rainy season.

Logistics • As of 26 May, total tonnage of relief supplies received in Chad through the Libyan corridor amounts to 5,922 mt. Another 3,491 mt is currently on transit between Khufra and eastern Chad. Additional convoys with WFP food aid are also expected in early June in the Faya logistics hub. • From January to April 2008, the Humanitarian Air Service transported 11,981 passengers and 33 metric tonnes of light cargo. UNHAS flights could be disrupted during the rainy season due to impassable roads. Globally, 13 destinations are served in Chad (N'djamena, Abeche, Bahai, Iriba, Goz-Beida, Guereda, Farchana, Dogdore, Moundou, Sarh), and (Yaoundé, Garoua, Maroua).

1 • GTZ-Prodabo is carrying out the rehabilitation of the Hadjer Hadjid – Arkoum road in order to improve access during the rainy season. The work is due to end in late May.

Nutrition • Data collected in IDPs sites in April, show that there is a trend of increasing new admissions in nutritional centres compared to March 2008. This trend has been observed both in supplementary feeding and therapeutic nutritional centres notably in Goz Amir and Djabal. In the Dar Sila for instance, new admissions rose from 137 in March to 266 in April. Humanitarian actors in the nutrition sector plan to organise soon surveys among the IDPs to confirm this trend and to respond adequately. Malnutrition is subject to quick changes in eastern Chad in the context of scarce resources and insecurity. In eastern Chad, 12% of 180,000 IDPs in the sites of Abdi, Goungour, Karoub and part of Am Dam are not covered by nutritional programmes. Lack of operational partners in these sites is related to various constraints, including insecurity and low funding.

Protection Refugees • The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) have started the transfer of over 9,500 refugees who arrived in the south to a new camp in Moula, 150 km from Chad’s border with the Central Africa Republic. From 23 to 27 May, over 1,600 refugees were transferred. UNHCR has taken measures to finalise this operation before roads become impassable due to rain. Each family will receive a plot of land of 2.5 hectare and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation will provide them with seeds and tools, while the World Food Programme will give them monthly food rations. Refugees are currently sheltered in tents, but will soon be able to build their own homes. Southern Chad currently hosts 56,000 refugees from the Central African Republic in five camps. Internally displaced persons (IDPs), refugees and local populations • The UN Secretary-General's Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, Ms Radhika Coomaraswamy, visited Chad from 26 to 27 May. During her visit, the Special Representative focused on critical issues, including trans-border recruitment of children into armed groups, child protection, the security of humanitarian staff and property, as well as safety in refugee camps and IDPs sites. After her visit to Chad, she went to the Central African Republic on a similar mission. • Since the signing by the Republic of Chad of the Paris Agreement (Engagement de Paris en vue de protéger les enfants contre une utilisation ou un recrutement illégaux par des groupes ou forces armés) in February 2007, some 512 children have been demobilised. Those demobilised from armed groups include 243 who are in temporary centres in Ndjamena, 133 who have been reunified with their families and 132 who returned spontaneously to their communities of origin. UNICEF and partners assist 63 % of the children through reinsertion activities (46% in schools and 17% with vocational training). • From 2005 to mid-May, mines and UXO have caused 411 accidents with 45 victims in 2005, 140 in 2006, 186 in 2007 and 40 since the beginning of the year. Most of the victims have been seriously injured. 80% of the incidents occurred in eastern Chad. The national cell for demining operations, in collaboration with UNICEF, has developed tools for sensitisation against risks related to mines and UXO. In order to address this problem, the European Force in eastern Chad (EUFOR) has started to destroy UXO and mines around Koukou and will possibly extend this operation to Goz Beida. The government cell plans a mine and UXO removal exercise in eastern Chad in mid-June. • The local Association for the Promotion of Basic Human Rights in Chad (APLFT) has opened an office in Farchana. The programme of the association includes monitoring of conditions of people in detention and assisting those in different stages of the judicial process.

Health Refugees • Médecins Sans Frontière – Luxembourg (MSF-L) has totally suspended its activities in the area of Iriba due to insecurity. The NGO was working among in refugees camps in Touloum and Iridimi which host around 53,000 refugees. It was assisting in the running of two health centres (Iriba and Tiné) and was helping the district hospital. With the suspension of MSF-L activities, humanitarians raised concerns about the heath coverage among refugees and local community. • Based on an analysis of immunization activities during the first trimester, UNICEF and UNHCR agreed to organise a ‘catch-up’ campaign for children aged 1 to 11 months that have not been

2 vaccinated during that period. The campaign is scheduled for the last week of May, with the objective being to reach 100 percent vaccination coverage.

Internally displaced persons (IDPs) and local populations • World Health Organization (WHO) and its partners expressed concern over a 10% decrease in health coverage in the district of Am Dam with the suspension of some health activities and the pullout of of NGOs active in that area, which hosts 14,000 IDPs. Furthermore, the lack of health coverage for 22,000 IDPs may occur in the areas of Goz Bagar, Goundiang and Alacha, by July, for the same reasons. • Training of 150 community health workers was organised in Goz Beida from 15 to 27 May as a joint effort by UNICEF, UNHCR, COOPI (Cooperazione Internazionale) and the Health Delegation of Ouaddaï. The aim was to enhance the capacities of local staff in social mobilization techniques related to vaccination, nutrition and ante-natal care.

Food security Refugees • May general food distributions for Sudanese and CAR refugees have been completed in all refugee camps in eastern and southern Chad. Cereal rations for the Sudanese refugees have been reduced by 20% due to delays in food arrivals. WFP will revert to to standard rations as soon as this is logistically possible. For the new CAR refugees currently being transferred from Dembo transit site to a new refugee camp in the Maro area, WFP is making a provision to assist them with a 30-day food ration upon their arrival in the camp.

Internally displaced persons (IDPs), returnees and local populations • Food distributions to IDPs are currently ongoing in the Goz-Beida and Koukou areas. WFP plans to provide over 160,000 beneficiaries in eastern Chad with a 30-day food ration in May and a 60- day food ration in June to cover IDPs’ food requirements during the lean season. • During the 22 and 23 weeks of the year, ICRC distributed seeds (mil, sorghum, peanut, sorrel, gombo) and seed protection rations for 30 days in the Assoungha and the Dar Sila. Overall, 2,500 IDPs households (Arkoum and Alacha), 2,500 refugee households (30 villages in Borota) were targeted in the Assoungha and 3,400 IDPs households in the Dar Sila. Another distribution of food for 60 days and of non-food items for IDPs and returnees is scheduled in the Assoungha and in Dar Sila in June.

Coordination • The Central Emergency Relief Fund of the United Nations has allocated 4.3 million dollars to meet the needs of 12,000 Central African Republic refugees who arrived in southern Chad between January and February 2008. This funds have been distributed as follows: UNHCR (USD1, 490,510), WFP (USD 1,886,987) and UNICEF (971,774). Projects in the following sectors will be covered; education, food, health, nutrition and protection. United Nations agencies will implement projects with the following partners: CNAR (Commission Nationale d’Accueil et de Réinsertion des Réfugiés), the NGOs African Concern, LWF, COOPI and GTZ. • Humanitarian actors organised on 19 and 20 May a workshop for the Consolidated Appeals Process (CAP) mid-year review. The workshop was attended by UN agencies, NGOs, government and donors. The workshop was an opportunity for a review the past six months and its impact on the humanitarian response to refugees, IDPs and local community. • In May, humanitarian actors, donors the governmental body CONAFIT (Coordination Nationale d’Appui à la Force Internationale à l’est) met to exchange ideas on the framework for the assistance to IDPs. Following the meeting a working group chaired by the CONAFIT with the support of the United Nations has been created in Ndjamena and as well as two other working groups in Abeche and Goz Beida. Discussions are ongoing in the various sectoral groups for the humanitarian response for the finalisation of the minimum assistance package for returnees. • Following the recent attack of the armed group JEM in , humanitarian actors have updated the contingency plan for eastern Chad in preparation to further deterioration of the humanitarian situation.

Calendar of events Date Events Where 3 June Bimonthly coordination meeting OCHA Abeche at

3 10 :00 5 to 7 June Visit of the Security Council delegation Tchad 5 June Debriefing mission of the civil society on the issue of the return HCR Abeche at 16 :00 of IDPS in the Dar Sila 16 June Day for African children 20 June Word day for refugees

If you have inputs for the next edition, or questions and comments on this one, please contact: • Maurizio Giuliano, Public Information Officer, United Nations, Chad Email: [email protected] Tel: +235-6053892 / +237 79650182 • Katy Thiam, Associate Reporting Officer, United Nations, Chad Email: [email protected] Tel: +235-6201542 / +237-79691303

For information specific to the following sectors, you may also contact: Activities for refugees, Emergency Shelter and Non-Food Items (NFIs), Protection: • Annette Rehrl, Spokesperson, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Chad Email: [email protected] Tel: +235-6385195 Education, Nutrition, Water and Sanitation: • Cornelia Walther, Communication officer, United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF), Chad Email: [email protected] Tel: +235-6182722 Food Security and Livelihoods: • Djaounsede, Pardon Madjiangar, Reports Officer, World Food Programme (WFP), Chad Email: [email protected] Tel: +235- 627 54 24 Health: • Jonas Naissem, Information Officer, World Health Organization (WHO), Chad Email: [email protected] Tel: +235-6294720 • Toussaint Mbaïtoubam, Associate Programme Officer, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Email : [email protected] Tel : +235 6275033 • Nalga Katir, Information Officer, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Email : [email protected] Tel : +235 - 23 48 62

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