FROM THE FIELD
An emergency air corridor and regular flights for humanitarian aid into Abeche are needed urgently for aid agencies to continue providing full support in Chad, warns Save the Children. Fighting since Friday in the capital, N'Djamena, resulted in the Chadian government closing the airspace over the country. There are also rumours the airstrip at N'Djamena airport has been
damaged by the conflict. Gareth Owen, Save the Children's Head of Emergencies, said from Abeche in Chad: "No civilian aeroplanes - including aid flights - are being
allowed into Chad, leaving aid organisations, such as Save the Children, with no means of transporting staff or essential equipment. The UN was given two days grace on Monday and Tuesday to
evacuate people from Abeche, in the east of Chad. But nothing has been done to bring desperately-needed aid into Abeche, to the thousands of people struggling to survive in this region." Save the Children is urgently calling on the UN to set up regular flights into Abeche from surrounding countries such as Cameroon and Central African Republic. "This is a crucial
chance to get aid into the country, but it has to happen within 48 hours," said Owen. "Otherwise the humanitarian aid effort will start to unravel." He continued: "Over half a million people are relying on emergency aid to survive: Chadians who have fled the violence, refugees from Darfur and now local populations who could be running out of food and
supplies. Save the Children is still operating in the east of Chad, but with banks down and a endangered local economy, our work is under threat. If people think they are being abandoned by
aid organisations, there is a danger of widespread panic which could lead to further insecurity. We don't know what the outcome of this conflict will be, and it's critical we are
able to continue operations for as long as possible. A humanitarian air corridor to the outside world via Abeche, in place and functioning fast, is essential for saving children's lives." ENDS For interviews with Gareth Owen, or more information, please contact the Save the Children media unit on +44 7831 650 409
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
