Chad Humanitarian Update July 2023

Deputy Secretary-General leads high-level UN visit to Chad

From 17 to 19 July United Nations (UN) Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed led a highlevel delegation to Chad with senior UN officials from the World Food Programme (WFP), United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the Department for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA), the Development Coordination Office (DCO and the UN Office for Central Africa (UNOCA). The mission came off the back of the establishment of an emergency task force for Chad by the UN at headquarters and it had as its the objective to increase UN engagement to the country as it progresses with its political transition but also faces several challenges.

The delegation met with General Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno, the Transitional President and Head of State of Chad, Saleh Kebzabo, the Prime Minister and several government ministers as well as diplomats, humanitarian actors and representatives of civil society. The Deputy Secretary-General expressed solidarity with Chad in its efforts to respond to the humanitarian crisis in the eastern part of the country due to the Sudan conflict and to advance longer-term development in the context of the political transition.

Meetings were also held with women leaders and organisations to understand women's contribution to the successful implementation of the political transition process.

The high-level delegation also visited Adre and Farchana to see firsthand the mounting humanitarian crisis in eastern Chad and mobilise more international attention and much needed support. Since the conflict erupted in Sudan on April 15, some 329,000 refugees and 48,000 returnees have crossed into the eastern provinces of Ouaddai, Wadi Fira and Sila as of the 28 July. While the rate of the influx of refugees has decreased in recent days, significant humanitarian needs remain, and efforts are still underway to relocate as many refugees as possible away from the border area to existing and new sites. As well as the needs of refugees and returnees the delegation was also able to see how the crisis poses risks to host communities and social cohesion, exacerbated by limited resources and inadequate humanitarian and development assistance. Inflation in eastern Chad has now risen to 70 per cent, further affecting livelihoods for host communities and the cost of living.

To ensure social cohesion and the acceptance of refugees by local communities, it is essential that the response to refugees and returnees also addresses the needs of the millions of vulnerable Chadians. Before the latest influx, the country was already home to more than 407,000 Sudanese refugees.

Following the visit in the east the delegation visited Bol in Lake Province in western Chad engage with local authorities and learn about income-generating activities of Nigerian refugees who have fled the violence of Boko Haram.

A key objective of the mission was to mobilise more international support for Chad. The number of vulnerable people in Chad has increased from 4.7 million in 2017 to 6.9 million (even before the current crisis) in need for humanitarian assistance in 2023.

The increase in needs is linked to the protracted displacement due to the armed conflict in Lake Province, the worsening food security situation and the effects of climate change, including floods. The 2023 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) targets 4.4 million for $674,1 million, however, it has only received $143 million, or 21 percent, of its funding by July.