Refugees in Chad stand in line for assistance. (© 2007 Jenny Matthews) |
N'DJAMENA, Chad (March 11, 2009) - CARE is concerned that the humanitarian situation in Darfur could deepen following the expulsion of non-governmental aid organizations (NGOs) from the region. A worst-case scenario could see the humanitarian situation again spill over into neighboring countries like Chad.
CARE is one of 13 agencies that have now been expelled from Darfur. CARE's contribution alone was providing food, water, sanitation, livelihood and health assistance for some 1.5 million people in Sudan, including approximately 600,000 people in the Darfur region who were displaced by years of conflict. The United Nations currently estimates that within a period of less than two weeks 1.1 million people will need food, 1.2 million people will need water, and 1.5 million people will be without access to health services. With the rainy season approaching and a lack of health services, there is concern that a serious disease epidemic could grow. The 13 expelled agencies represent more than half the humanitarian capacity in Darfur.
Conditions in Darfur will likely deteriorate without those organizations there to meet that need. Many of those displaced persons could seek assistance across the border into Chad. "CARE is closely monitoring the situation," said Anne Wood, CARE country director in Chad. "It is our deepest hope the government of Sudan will reverse its decision and allow non-political NGOs like CARE to resume work in Darfur."
Agencies such as CARE were at the forefront of the relief effort when a first wave of 250,000 refugees fleeing attacks and burning villages first flooded over the border into eastern Chad in 2004. Now living in 12 camps along the Sudan border, many of those refugees are closely following events, wishing for a sustainable peace in Darfur but knowing the recent International Criminal Court decision and the evolving humanitarian crisis may dash those hopes for the foreseeable future, CARE staff have found.
Chad has been experiencing negative spill-over effects from the Darfur conflict for some time. In addition, concerns about renewed rebel group activity, the transition of the European peacekeeping force (EUFOR) to a United Nations force in mid-March, increased banditry and shrinking humanitarian space, have lead CARE to describe the current situation in Chad as "calm yet volatile." Nevertheless CARE and the humanitarian community in Chad are making contingency plans to deal with a possible influx of tens of thousands of new refugees. If people in Darfur make the decision to move, they will likely do so soon, before the rainy season makes travel through the border region far more difficult.
CARE provides food, medical supplies and other humanitarian relief for several refugee camps, sheltering one quarter of the Darfur refugees in Chad. CARE works with the most vulnerable among the refugees and is particularly concerned with the welfare of women and girls in the camps. Over 66 percent of the refugees are under the age of 17, the majority of whom are girls. Gender-based violence is a serious problem and CARE has taken steps such as providing energy-efficient stoves, which reduce the number of times women and girls must leave the safety of the camps to find firewood. In addition to water and sanitation programs, CARE is also providing vocational skills training for refugee women to help them become more self-reliant, education for children, seeds for farmers and training and activities for youth.
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