OCHA Situation Report
Chad
12 February 2008


Source:
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

Headlines

- Situation in east remains stable, access good. Operations continue,
but concerns remain over 'pipelines'.

- A further 12,000 Sudanese refugees arrive in eastern Chad from West
Darfur, in urgent need of aid.

- EC allocates US$ 2.96 million for Chad, while Italy sends two airlifts
with medical and other relief items.

- General food distribution for 235,000 refugees started last week, but
concerns over 'pipeline' remain.

- Two suspected cases of meningitis leading to one death reported in
east, but alert threshold not reached.

- Air corridor links eastern Chad's Abeche to Cameroon, but fuel
shortages may become an obstacle.

- Water supplied to most refugees and IDPs, but fuel shortages pose a
concern for continued provision.

Context and overall developments

- The security situation in eastern Chad remains stable, including in
the 12 refugee camps and 29 internally displaced persons (IDP) sites in
the area. Access is good, but humanitarians remain vigilant amidst
concerns about potential new armed fighting in some areas.

- Despite the evacuation of many expatriate humanitarians, aid continues
to reach almost half a million beneficiaries in eastern Chad. Operations
are gradually getting back towards their normal levels. But
humanitarians remain highly concerned about the functionality of the aid
'pipelines' for the procurement of relief supplies and their transport
to eastern Chad.

Population movements and returns (1)

Chadian refugees in Cameroon

- At least 30,000 Chadians, displaced by armed fighting in Chad's
capital N'Djamena one week ago, currently remain in Cameroon. The United
Nations and its partners have so far based their immediate response on a
planning figure of 50,000 refugees, but expect that approximately 20,000
will wish to remain in Cameroon on the medium term.

New arrivals from Darfur

- Since 09 February, approximately 12,000 new Sudanese refugees have
left from the Sudan's Darfur region to eastern Chad, and are
concentrated in the areas around the towns of Birak and Koruk. Most
refugees come from the areas of Abu Suruj, Sileah, and Sirba, 50 to 70
km north of El Geneina in West Darfur.

- The United Nations plans to offer transport for the new arrivals this
week, to new camps near the town of Guereda, approximately 50 km from
Birak, and to the Iriba area. Approximately 30,000 Sudanese refugees
already live in two camps in the Guereda area, while a further 58,000
refugees are in three camps around Iriba.

- Sleeping mats, blankets, jerry cans, kitchen sets, and other supplies,
are due to be delivered to refugees as they arrive to the camps.

Needs and response by sector

Coordination, Support Services, and Funding

- The European Commission (EC) has announced on 05 February the
allocation of US$ 2.96 million (2) for the victims of recent fighting in
Chad, including any current or new IDPs or refugees.

- The Government of Italy has announced that two airlifts will be
conducted to Chad in the coming days, carrying urgent medical supplies
and other relief items.

Education

- In those eastern areas where international staff had been evacuated
due to increased risks of insecurity, educational activities for
refugees and IDPs have continued, thanks to national humanitarian staff
and to the proactive involvement of the beneficiary communities.

Food Security and Livelihoods

- Although insecurity has affected food delivery operations, general
food distribution (GFD) for the month of February has started last week,
for approximately 235,000 Sudanese refugees in eastern Chad, and is
expected to be completed by the end of this week.

- The World Food Programme (WFP) is nevertheless concerned about
possible breaks in the food pipeline over the months of February and
March. As most aid comes from outside the country (through Cameroon,
Libya, and Nigeria), it is essential that full functionality of the
pipeline is restored, so that food may continue to reach the areas of
eastern Chad where it is to be delivered to those in need. As the rainy
season is also due to start around May, it is crucial that
pre-positioning of food in eastern Chad is completed before that time.

Health

Epidemics

- Two suspected cases of meningitis, leading to one death, were reported
among the local population in Chad's eastern town of Bahai. While this
is far below the alert threshold, humanitarians remain vigilant.

- In order to prevent epidemics of measles amidst new population
movements, the United Nations and its partners intend to procure a
contingency stock of measles vaccines as soon as possible.

Other news

- At the present time, sufficient stocks of health supplies are
pre-positioned in eastern Chad to respond health needs, and are expected
to last between two and four months at different locations.

- The non-governmental organization (NGO) Cooperazione Internazionale
(COOPI) reports that it has sufficient medical supplies for a period of
five months, covering the five IDP sites where it operates.

Logistics

- Since 08 February, an aid corridor links Chad's eastern town of Abeche
with the Cameroonian capital Yaounde, so that personnel and supplies may
continue to reach the area despite tensions in N'Djamena.

- Fuel shortages in eastern Chad remain a major challenge for the
implementation of humanitarian activities in the area, and this may also
impact the air corridor between Abeche and Yaounde.

Protection

- No information has been reported on child recruitments over the past
weeks. However, humanitarians are closely monitoring the situation.

Water and Sanitation

- At most refugee and IDP camps and sites, there is sufficient fuel for
two to four weeks, to operate water pumping stations. Varying by
location, the quantity of water delivered per person per day ranges from
10 litres to 15 litres. However, there are concerns that if fuel
shortages continue, the situation may deteriorate once current stocks
are used.


If you have inputs for the next edition, or questions and comments on
this one, please contact:

Maurizio Giuliano, Public Information
Officer, United Nations Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Chad
Email: giuliano@un.org
Tel: +237 79650182

Katy Thiam, Associate Reporting Officer,
United Nations Office for the Coordination
of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Chad
Email: thiamk@un.org
Tel: +237-79691303

For information specific to the following sectors, you may also contact:

Education, Nutrition, Water and Sanitation:
Cornelia Walther, Communication Officer,
United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF), Chad
Email: cwalther@unicef.org
Tel: +237-79769886

Food Security and Livelihoods:
Magda Jurkowiecka, Reports Officer, World
Food Programme (WFP), Chad
Email: magda.jurkowiecka@wfp.org
Tel: +237-99093218

Health:
Jonas Naissem, Information Officer, World
Health Organization (WHO), Chad
Email: naissemj@td.afro.who.int
Tel: +235-6294720

Multi-sector assistance to Refugees,
Emergency Shelter and Non-Food Items (NFIs),
Protection:
Annette Rehrl, Spokesperson, Office of the
United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees (UNHCR), Chad
Email: rehrl@unhcr.org
Tel: +235-6385195

Notes:

(1) For information on the arrival of Chadian refugees in Cameroon and the
humanitarian response thereto, please see separate information bulletins
"Humanitarian needs and response for Chadian refugees in Cameroon".

(2) Amount converted into United States dollars (US$) from an original amount
of European Union euros (EUR) 2 million.

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