NCA has joined a
large-scale relief operation to bring assistance to refugees and internally displaced people in eastern Chad. "The needs are huge," says Irene Wenaas Holte.
Two specialists are currently on
route to eastern Chad where they will immediately work to address both the water, sanitary and medical requirements of a large number of refugees and internally displaced persons. Their efforts are
intended to follow up the findings of an assessment team that was sent by Norwegian Church Aid and sister organisations through ACT International to the eastern regions of Chad and the Central African
Republic last week.
"The needs are huge. A continual stream of refugees is arriving in Chad from neighbouring Sudan, and at the same time the number of internally displaced people in Chad
is rising. The conflict is spreading at an alarming rate. To make matters worse, the rainy season is upon us, and we fear that several refugee camps will be isolated," says Irene Wenaas Holte, acting
head of Norwegian Church Aid's Emergency Relief division.
Norwegian Church Aid has provided around 300,000 NOK towards the relief operation that is being coordinate by ACT (Action by
Churches Together) International. Efforts will be focused primarily around the Habile and Aradib camps, located in the town of Kou Kou on the Sudanese border. These camps alone house a total of 50,000
people.
Latest figures estimate that around 230,000 refugees from Darfur have arrived in Chad, and that around 40,000 Darfurians have crossed into the Central African Republic. The threat
is ever present but hard to pin down: some men in this area are soldiers by day and highwaymen by night. Alliances shift continually and weapons are in plentiful supply.
Chad is among the
least hospitable regions of the world, and life is extremely difficult for the displaced. Many have already been living in camps for many years in the hope that peace will return to the region. One of
the greatest challenges to the humanitarian effort is security.
"The region is extremely dangerous, but the humanitarian situation is so acute that we simply must get help to the innocent
civilians that are affected by the war in Darfur," says Wenaas Holte.
Norwegian Church Aid has previously built three refugee camps in eastern Chad. Structures were constructed to service
the water and sanitary needs of 54,000 refugees and 80 water wells were drilled.
Action by Churches Together (ACT) International is a global alliance of churches and related agencies
working to save lives and support communities in emergencies worldwide. ACT already works in South and West Darfur, Sudan, through a joint operation with Caritas International.
For
more information, contact:
Irene Wenaas Holthe, acting head of Emergency Division, tel.: (+47) 982 46 439
