Chad: United Nations to assess humanitarian needs in capital

(N'Djamena/New York/Geneva, 11 February 2008): In the aftermath of armed fighting that affected Chad's capital over the past days, the United Nations and its partners are currently assessing humanitarian needs, so that they can effectively respond to the vital requirements of the most vulnerable as soon as possible.

A 'skeleton team' of United Nations staff has remained in N'Djamena throughout the fighting. 'We stayed in order to assess the security situation and its humanitarian consequences in the capital, and to work for the continuation of our activities in the east of the country,' said Kingsley Amaning, United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Chad. 'Now that the situation in N'Djamena appears calm, the priority for humanitarians is to get a clear picture of the most pressing needs of the population,' he added.

While there are no exact figures on civilian victims in the capital at present, the United Nations can confirm that armed fighting has caused scores of deaths and fatalities, hundreds of casualties, and that private properties and public infrastructure have also been destroyed or damaged. The insecurity has also led to a sharp increase in banditry, leading to the looting of public and private premises, including those of humanitarian organizations.

The fighting has caused the forced displacement of at least 30,000 Chadians, mainly from the capital, to neighbouring Cameroon. 'Aid is being provided on the other side of the border,' said Serge Malé, Representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in N'Djamena. 'But we must make it clear that the refugees, many of whom lost everything in the fighting, will also receive the same assistance in Chad when they return. I do encourage them, once they feel that returning is safe, to do so,' he added.

In Cameroon, the United Nations has based its response plans on a planning figure of 50,000 refugees. 'At least 415 metric tons (MT) of food, and at least 12 tons of non-food items, have already reached Cameroon's north-eastern town of Kousséri, where most refugees are located, while 48,000 litres of drinking water are currently being delivered every day,' indicated Félix Bamezon, Representative of the World Food Programme (WFP) in Chad. The United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO), concerned about potential epidemics, have scheduled vaccinations against measles, poliomyelitis, and meningitis, for this week.

'We wish to thank those organizations that remained operational in the capital throughout the fighting, for their relentless work in assisting the victims of the conflict,' said Eliane Duthoit, Head of the local Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), referring to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and its national society, as well as Médecins Sans Frontières - France (MSF-F). 'Their work during this difficult time has been wonderful. Attending to the wounded was the priority, and they worked day and night in this endeavour,' she added. The ICRC and other organizations are now taking a lead in estimating the overall damage in the city, as well as the number of internally displaced persons (IDPs).

Chad is currently affected by a humanitarian crisis, involving over 240,000 Sudanese refugees in the east and over 50,000 Central African refugees in the south, and over 170,000 IDPs as well as members of the host communities in the east. Last Thursday, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes expressed extreme concern about the impact of the recent violence on the ability of humanitarians to deliver lifesaving assistance in eastern Chad.

Until now, there were no vast humanitarian needs in the western part of the country, which includes the capital N'Djamena, where the work of the United Nations and its partners focuses mainly on development. It is hence a cause of great concern that the west of the country, so far spared by the crisis, is now also affected.

For further information, please contact:

Maurizio Giuliano, Public Information Officer, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA),N'Djamena, email: giuliano@un.org, tel: +237-79650182 / +235-6053892; Katy Thiam, Associate Information Officer, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Abéché, Chad, email: thiamk@un.org, tel: +237-79691303 / +235-6201542; Christina Bennett, Spokesperson, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), New York, email: bennett1@un.org, tel: +1-917-3678059 Elizabeth Byrs, Spokesperson, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Geneva, email: byrs@un.org, tel: +41-22-9172653.