100,000 displaced in Chad

Chad: Displacement From Deteriorating Security in Eastern Region Tops 100,000

Abeche: The UN refugee agency said Friday that the deteriorating security situation in eastern Chad had resulted in the displacement of up to 20,000 Chadians over the past two weeks and was posing a direct threat to refugee camps housing thousands of Sudanese from neighbouring Darfur. More than 100,000 Chadians are now displaced within their own country, which already hosts some 230,000 Darfur refugees in 12 UNHCR camps spread across the east of Chad.

While there has been a decrease in conflict between the Chadian army and opposition forces since the recent visit of UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres in late December, the level of inter-communal violence in several regions of the east has reached new levels. "This ongoing violence is threatening the lives and well-being of tens of thousands of Chadians and Sudanese refugees throughout the region," said Serge Maló, UNHCR's representative in Chad.

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