Central African Republic Refugees in Chad

Renewed fighting recently erupted in the North of the Central African Republic, between Peul militias and Mbaii, Daba, and Ngama communities.

From a report sent by the LWF Representative in Chad, Jaap Aantjes, an LWF-ACT assessment team witnessed a new influx of refugees into the Chadian village called Maya at 800 meters from the Southern border of Chad.

The group of about 10,516 refugees includes a large number of small children. They claim their villages (Koyo, Bellili, Maimbaye, Sangar, Miri, Ngonkou, Bekondjo, Sabo, and Satyan) of the Kaboro sub prefecture have been completely destroyed and that they fled with all present in the villages including the village authorities.

The present reception center at the border is far too dangerous for these refugees to stay, and plans are being made by the UNHCR at this very moment to move the community further inland to a village called Dembo, a distance of 25 kilometers from the border.

These new arrivals will most probably at a later stage add to the already difficult circumstances faced by the older caseload refugees from the same ethnic origin in the Yaroungou refugee camp close to Danamadji. The reason for the LWF-ACT team traveling to the area was to assess the situation of the refugees in this camp, when they stumbled onto the mentioned immediate emergency at Maya on their way.

Due to the continued insecure situation in the CAR the refugees in Yaroungou are in the process of being reintegrated with the host communities in the South of Chad. However the reintegration process is facing problems, and reduced rations combined with poor agricultural performance by the refugees have increased tensions between Agencies and refugees in the camp.

The increased need for reintegration and self sufficiency is partly caused by the lack of funding for this emergency that can be considered a forgotten emergency in an area that is overshadowed by the emergency situation in and around Darfur.

The instability in the North of the Central African Republic has links with the crises situation around Darfur. Recent reports indicate that LRA rebel forces and rebel forces from Chad have set their focus on the lawless northern region of the CAR. Their presence will fuel more trouble for the local communities still present, and who are already affected by local conflict and banditry.

LWF-ACT has expressed an interest to assist the CAR refugee community in Yaroungou with their reintegration process into the south of Chad, and indicated also a willingness to assist with the reception when needed, of potential new arrivals from the CAR in the area of Danamadji.

Through this alert we would like to draw the attention of our network partners to this forgotten and partly re-emerging emergency in the South of Chad, and to the general crises affecting Chad at the moment.

LWF/ACT are planning to work on a second ACT appeal to cater for the refugees from the CAR in Chad, in addition to our existing ACT appeal AFCH71 for IDP’s in the East of Chad.

LWF-ACT will invite members to assist in the development of the appeal, and organize a second assessment mission to the South of Chad beginning of April 2008.

Any funding indication or pledge should be communicated to Jessie Kgoroeadira, ACT Finance Officer (jkg@act-intl.org).