Eastern Chad: UNHCR saddened by killing of government partner
Briefing Notes, 27 October 2009
This is a summary of what was said by UNHCR spokesperson Andrej Mahecic – to whom quoted text may be attributed – at the press briefing, on 27 October 2009, at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.
A Chadian colleague working for our government counterpart in eastern Chad was killed in an ambush over the weekend. Michel Mitna was head of the Chadian refugee body CNAR (Commission National d'Accueil et de Réinsertion des réfugiés) in Guéréda and worked daily with UNHCR to protect and assist refugees and internally displaced people (IDPs) in this volatile region.
Mitna was riding about 110 km north-east of Abéché at 0800 Saturday (local time) in a vehicle clearly marked with the CNAR and UNHCR logos when he was attacked by armed bandits and killed. His driver was wounded and the unidentified bandits managed to escape. The 40 year-old Mitna leaves behind a wife and five children. He had worked in eastern Chad for six years, and in a display of solidarity and sorrow, our staff in Guéréda did not work on Monday.
UNHCR is deeply shocked and saddened by this tragic killing. This is the 51st armed attack on a humanitarian vehicle in eastern Chad this year alone, 31 of which belonged to UNHCR and its partners. Just last week for example, five staff working for Première Urgence, a French NGO that is our partner in the area of Farchana, were kidnapped while travelling in convoy. The bandits only freed the kidnapped staff when their hijacked vehicle was involved in an accident. Two of the five aid workers are still in hospital in N'Djamena.
Humanitarian workers in eastern Chad constantly face security threats while working to alleviate the plight of tens of thousands of civilians who fled generalized violence and conflict. Armed banditry is the greatest security threat for aid workers in this area neighbouring the Darfur region of Sudan.
In spite of the security constraints, UNHCR has been working with CNAR and many international humanitarian agencies in eastern Chad to assist some 250,000 Sudanese refugees in 12 camps since 2003, as well as 160,000 internally displaced Chadians since 2006.
Crisis in the Central African Republic
Little has been reported about the humanitarian crisis in the northern part of the Central African Republic (CAR), where at least 295,000 people have been forced out of their homes since mid-2005. An estimated 197,000 are internally displaced, while 98,000 have fled to Chad, Cameroon or Sudan. They are the victims of fighting between rebel groups and government forces.
Many of the internally displaced live in the bush close to their villages. They build shelters from hay, grow vegetables and even start bush schools for their children. But access to clean water and health care remains a huge problem. Many children suffer from diarrhoea and malaria but their parents are too scared to take them to hospitals or clinics for treatment.
Cattle herders in northern CAR are menaced by the zaraguina, bandits who kidnap children for ransom. The villagers must sell off their livestock to pay.
Posted on 21 February 2008
Crisis in the Central African Republic
Battling the Elements in Chad
More than 180,000 Sudanese refugees have fled violence in Sudan's Darfur region, crossing the border to the remote desert of eastern Chad.
It is one of the most inhospitable environments UNHCR has ever had to work in. Vast distances, extremely poor road conditions, scorching daytime temperatures, sandstorms, the scarcity of vegetation and firewood, and severe shortages of drinkable water have been major challenges since the beginning of the operation. Now, heavy seasonal rains are falling, cutting off the few usable roads, flooding areas where refugees had set up makeshift shelters, and delaying the delivery of relief supplies.
Despite the enormous environmental challenges, UNHCR has so far managed to establish nine camps and relocate the vast majority of the refugees who are willing to move from the volatile border.
Battling the Elements in Chad
Chad: Relocation from the Border to Refugee Camps
Since fighting broke out in Sudan's western region of Darfur last year, more than 110,000 Sudanese refugees have fled into Chad. They are scattered along a 600-km stretch of desert borderland under a scorching sun during the day and freezing temperatures during the night.
Access to these refugees in this inhospitable region is difficult. Staff of the UN refugee agency drive for days to locate them. Bombing in the border zone and cross-border raids by militia from Sudan put the refugees at risk and underscore the urgent need to move them to camps in the interior. In addition, the approach of the rainy season in May will make the sandy roads impassable. Aid workers are racing against time in an attempt bring emergency relief to these refugees.
Chad: Relocation from the Border to Refugee Camps
South Sudan: Seeking Safety
The number of refugees along the north-eastern border of South Sudan is growing. Some are heading further inland to Jammam Camp, set up by UNHCR a month ago.
Kenya: In Need of Protection
The legacy of Sudan's civil war haunts many refugees. In Kakuma camp some need special protection to ensure their safety.
Kenya: Refugee Women
The long trek to safety in Kenya has been particularly hard for Somali mothers like Mariane, who was pregnant, and Fatuma, who lost her baby son en route.
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