N'DJAMENA, Chad, June 23 –
The UN refugee agency has begun a pilot programme to resettle 1,800 refugees in Chad to the United States, with a first group of 11 from several countries flying out of N'Djamena at the weekend.The group that left on Sunday included seven urban refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), three urban Sudanese refugees and one person from the Central African Republic (CAR) who
had been living in Dosseye camp in southern Chad. They will fly to New York and later be resettled in the states of Kentucky, Texas, Iowa and Utah.UNHCR plans to identify a total 1,800 cases
for possible resettlement in the United States this year. Most of them are expected to be Sudanese refugees from Darfur living in the 12 refugee camps that UNHCR manages in eastern Chad. These camps
house some 250,000 refugees from Darfur, some 60 percent of them women and children.A further 70,000 refugees from the Central African Republic live in five camps in the south of the country.
The next group earmarked for resettlement is expected to depart N'Djamena in early July and will mainly consist of Darfuri refugees. "There are serious protection cases," said Michele Manca di Nissa,
UNHCR's deputy representative for protection in Chad.Djibrilla Adamou, an ethnic Peul from Central African Republic, said before his departure that he was glad to be going to the United
States. "After all that I have seen of suffering in the CAR and in Chad, I have to leave this country and go far away," said the 26-year-old, who was tortured in his homeland. "My objective is to
study, then to work," he added.Congolese Rachid Matchozi Anny fled to N'Djamena in 2003 after her husband was killed while trying to stop her being raped by militiamen in the north-east of the
Democratic Republic of the Congo. She has two sons, and the younger one,Grazia, said he had heard that the US was a very advanced country. "I would like to contribute to its success, so that
the US advances even more."The United States is the first country to agree to resettle vulnerable refugees from Chad. Some 20 countries around the world accept refugees referred to them for
resettlement by UNHCR. This solution is only considered for refugees who cannot return home and are unable to remain in their host country. All those resettled do so voluntarily.It is a
meticulous process that usually takes 7-9 months per case. Potential resettlement cases are identified by UNHCR protection officers in the field and the refugees undergo several interviews. The
International Organization for Migration conducts medical screening and the International Rescue Committee runs orientation programmes to prepare the refugees for life in their new homes.UNHCR
staff are trained in anti-fraud measures to avoid selecting refugees who are not eligible and refugees are counselled until the day of their departure on their rights and obligations in their new
country.
A woman, who fled from her home after violence in Lalgarh, stands behind a classroom of a school which was converted into a makeshift refugee camp at Pirakata near Lalgarh, some ...
