Tuesday, December 15, 2009

CHAD: Re-assessing the aid footprint

ABÉCHÉ, 7 December 2009 (IRIN) - When an aid vehicle is stolen in the eastern Chad town of Abéché, some people cheer and say the aid organization got what it deserved, according to the French think-tank Emergency Rehabilitation Development (URD), which is preparing a report on the impact of international aid groups on Abéché residents.

“There is the perception that humanitarian organizations have driven up the cost of living [in the town] - water, electricity, housing,” said the group’s director, François Grünewald. “There is a view that carjackings are a form of justice, like Robin Hood taking from the rich. People do not see what these groups are doing in the field.”

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) is losing two all-terrain vehicles a day in the east, senior external relations adviser Måns Nyberg told IRIN. Abéché was the most affected region in 2008 and saw one of the highest rates of crime ever against aid agencies in 2009.

Since the arrival of refugees from Darfur in late 2003, a dozen UN agencies and dozens of NGOs have arrived in Abéché. Prior to 2003 there had been only one UN agency and two non-profit organizations. More than 1,000 members of the UN Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad (MINURCAT) - sent to boost border security and facilitate refugee and Chadian returns - have also used Abéché as a base since March 2009.

Foreigners “more wasteful”

The town’s water system was ill-prepared for the influx of aid workers and peacekeepers, said URD’s Grünewald. “Locals have a different relationship with water than foreigners who are more wasteful and do not conserve.”

Foreigners have also driven up housing and food costs in Abéché to levels “out of reach of vulnerable residents,” he added.

Prices for rice, flour, meat, millet, sorghum and sugar in Abéché have increased by an average of 51 percent in the last seven years based on a 2009 URD market survey. Chad’s inflation rate in 2008 was just over 3 percent, according to the African Development Bank.

Marcel Nguebaroum, a paediatric ward nurse at Abéché’s regional hospital, said: “I could get a chicken for 600 francs [US$1.38] before 2004… and a room cost me 2,500 francs [$5.75]. Now a chicken costs 3,500 [$8]… and owners can ask for whatever price they want for housing because they think we are somehow able to pay. We are all expected to pay what you [foreigners] are able to pay.”

Nguebaroum said that though foreigners earn many times more than locals, prices are set according to foreign salaries.

There is no doubt humanitarians have put pressure on local resources, for which they have tried to compensate, MINURCAT spokesman Penangnini Touré told IRIN.

"MINURCAT is using its own resources for the most part...MINURCAT has drilled its own wells to provide for its own water needs. Drinking water is purchased from a local provider, and then distributed to staff members on a regular basis. MINURCAT is also providing electricity not only to its staff members, but in some instances to the local population thanks to UN generators that have been set up in every area where the mission is present."

MINURCAT has also rehabilitated air strips, which are turned over to Chadian authorities after MINURCAT's departure; helped to improve local security; and boosted employment by hiring more Chadians than international staff, Touré told IRIN. "The positive impact is, in fact, far greater than the negative."

But URD's Grünewald told IRIN that security remains spotty in the eyes of local residents and that most national employees working for humanitarians come from regions other than Abéché.

Scaling down in Abéché?

Grünewald said it is time to scale back humanitarian operations in Abéché. “The needs have changed since the outbreak of the crisis. The hub has grown but has lost its relevance.”

After government re-zoning, most of the refugees and internally displaced Chadians are in areas that fall under the administration of Sila region, whose capital Goz Beida is 220km south of Abéché. “What is the use of a mid-way presence [in Abéché] that has created an enormous amount of tension?” asked Grünewald. Before Sila was hived off from the Ouaddaï region in 2008, more of the half-million refugees and internally displaced Chadians were handled out of Abéché.

International Rescue Committee's Phillipe Adapoe told IRIN most NGOs are very concerned about the pressure humanitarians have added to local conditions. "This is one of the reasons that IRC has decided to reduce its presence in Abéché. We will be moving some support staff to [the capital] N'djamena early next year."

UNHCR is expected to shut down its Abéché office and transfer about 70 staff to N'djamena or closer to the camps in January 2010 in order to “streamline its operations”, UNHCR’s Nyberg told IRIN.

MINURCAT is in the early discussion stages of moving staff out of Abéché, but nothing has been decided yet, said spokesman Michel Bonnardeaux.

When asked whether moving aid workers would simply shift the price and resource pressures elsewhere, URD’s director told IRIN that if the impact of humanitarian work is visible to locals, then the “aid footprint” is lessened.

“There is little added value in staying in Abéché because it is still far from the field. But in Goz Beida the impact of humanitarian actions is more apparent, which lessens tension between the humanitarian community and residents. There is no way to avoid the aid presence in the east. But it is possible to minimize and diffuse the footprint and avoid a negative impact on local life.”

Friday, December 11, 2009

Struggles

Here are some of the latest struggles facing Chadians:
  1. Wood charcoal has been outlawed throughout the country, but this ban can only be enforced in the cities and big towns. This is the fuel used for cooking by the typical Chadian household, as gaz is expensive.
  2. Hundreds of homes have been razed in the capital city, supposedly to build more modern ones, but it seems unusual that most of the neighborhoods affected represent ethnic groups that were against him in the attempts of the rebellion to overthrow him.
  3. Police were called to round up copies of the Chadian newspaper "Le Temps," ostensibly because its papers were not in order, but the president took great offence to an article written about him, to the point that he deported the Cameroonian reporter who wrote it. Freedom of the press is being lost, a sign of the times
  4. Boys, teens and young men are being rounded up in cities and refugee camps, and brought to training camps in the middle of the desert for military training and forced enlistment.
  5. Not to mention the long-standing struggles of Chadians: a difficult hot season, one of the worst health systems in the world, insecurity and troubles.
More than ever, Chad needs our prayers. Our desire is that President Déby and his government would have a heart for the welfare of all Chadians, so that they would prosper, and his future would be secured. The suffering innocent Chadians are facing is tremendous. We need a miracle.
For more than a decade we have been praying for change; we are looking to God to help Chad by His grace.

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

In Chad, the concept of property is not the same as we may be used to.
It is very difficult to obtain land titles, to set boundaries, or even to have a reliable place to live ...
Here's what one of our friends wrote a few days ago:

Dear Families and Friends,
There are at least 2,500 families who have had to abandon their homes. This includes about a total of about 12,000 people. During the past two weeks, the residents of the Jardin d'Essai suburb in the town of Farcha near the capital fought so that their homes would not be destroyed. Every day the news was different: one day the news was, "Everything will be destroyed!", and the next day it would be "The suburb will not be destroyed!"
Two days earlier, the neighborhood was in a festive mood, because we thought we had obtained the victory. But yesterday afternoon, the definitive and overwhelming news came: At 6:00 AM, the bulldozers will be here. "
We worked all night to help some of our friends who lived in the neighborhood. Remove the aluminum roofing, get the wood, doors, and window frames... Everyone worked to recover as much as possible of the construction equipment that made up their homes.
Many people had lived in the neighborhood for 30, 40 or 50 years. Thousands of children were born here, and know nothing more than this, their neighborhood. The trauma the families in this neighborhood are feeling is very significant! This morning, the bulldozers arrived and began their work of destruction. Many voices were raised with opinions about the reasons for this decision, but it is possible that we will never know what the reason was! Only God knows and will judge!

Prayer Requests:
  • Pray for all these families who have been driven from their homes.
  • Pray for those who do not yet have a place to relocate.
  • Pray for the authorities, that they may be guided by God in their decisions.
  • Pray without tiring, so that the light of the Gospel would bring real change.
  • The Jardin d'Essai Church was also demolished. Pray for the Christians and the Church of Chad who have been hit hard to be salt and light.
Here dear friends is a situation that affects not only a section of the population, but also a church and many of its members.
What to do? As you read, we must pray. But we have also taken the decision to help. The mission will assist the Pastor of the Jardin d'Essai Church.
A steering group was set up in Chad, with an initial list of about thirty families arrested and an initial identification of provisional solutions to this emergency.

To find out how you can financially assist families affected by this tragedy, please visit the AMIP website.

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Claire and Stephanie have been released!

Thank you for praying! Two weeks after we began to "storm heaven" together for Claire Dubois and Stephanie, Medical workers in DarFur for Aide Medicale Internationale, they were released from captivity!
Our hope is that the One who has heard us on behalf of Claire and Stephanie Jodoin to turn hearts of the leaders, will also intervene in Chad in this turbulent time.
Read the full article with pictures of Claire and Stephanie, and let us rejoice together!

Chadian army, rebels clash in east: government

NDJAMENA (AFP) — Chadian troops clashed Thursday with rebels in the east of the country, both sides said, each claiming initial victory in the first direct confrontation since the rebels invaded from neighbouring Sudan.

"The first ground clashes have just taken place at Am-Deressa, 10 kilometres (six miles) south of Am-Dam," Communications Minister Mahamat Hissene said.

"The government forces gained the upper hand and mopping up operations are continuing."

He gave no casualty figures.

"There was violent fighting with the troops of (President Idriss) Deby, from 5:00 am (0400 GMT," rebel alliance spokesman Adberaman Koulamallah confirmed to AFP. "It was very violent. The fighting lasted for hours."

Koulamallah also claimed success, saying that the battle "turned in our favour. Government forces are completely routed. We occupy Am-Dam. The objective is still (the capital) Ndjamena."

Am-Dam is 110 kilometres north of Goz Beida and more than 100 kilometres south of Abeche, the two towns used as bases by most relief agencies working in east Chad to help 450,000 refugees and displaced people.

The UN refugee agency on Thursday said it has pulled all but two of 20 staff out of camps for 60,000 people because of instability caused by the insurgency since the rebels crossed into Chad from west Sudan on Monday.

The decision echoes one Wednesday by the UN World Food Programme in the same region, because three rebel forces were advancing across Chad from the eastern border, stating that their sights were set on the capital Ndjamena.

"All the other humanitarian agencies are going to do the same" because the situation is "too volatile and too unstable," Serge Male, representing the High Commissioner for Refugees in Chad, but he stressed that "we hope this won't last."

The UNHCR has meanwhile provided for "very short term" measures to keep about 20,000 Sudanese refugees at Koukou Angarana and about 40,000 Chadians displaced by previous internal conflicts, Male said.

The Chadian government has accused Sudan of backing the rebel assault that started on Monday, while the ink was scarcely dry on a peace pact between the fractious neighbours brokered in Doha by Qatar and Libya.

Rebels of the Union of Forces for Resistance (UFR) claimed in a statement that they captured government military vehicles during a brief land clash on Tuesday between Tizzi and Haraz Mangueigne.

Koulamallah claimed Thursday that the rebels had "more than a thousand vehicles," but said they had been attacked each day from the air by helicopters and bombers flying very high. "Our air defence works fine," he added. "That is not a problem."

The government has so far stated that it carried out one air attack on the rebels advancing across the hot, arid south of the central African country in four-by-four vehicles.

Diplomatic sources said that on Wednesday the rebels entered Am-Dam and Am-Timan, 180 kilometres south of Goz Beida, where they encountered no resistance.

However, the military activity, which follows a thwarted rebel bid last year to seize Ndjamena after they entered the capital, has led to mounting fears for some 450,000 refugees and displaced people in camps in eastern Chad.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon "is following developments in eastern Chad with increasing concern," the UN said in a statement late Wednesday, calling on Chad and Sudan to resume peace talks and urging respect for UN humanitarian operations.

Chadian Interior and Public Security Minister Ahmat Mahamat Bashir accused Sudanese President Omar El-Beshir of ordering "mercenaries" to attack Chad and vowed that the rebels would be wiped out.

Peace between Chad and Sudan is regarded as essential to any lasting settlement to a six-year-old uprising in Sudan's western Darfur region, where the Chadian rebels have rear bases.

In February last year, rebels battled their way to Ndjamena in western Chad in a bid to overthrow President Idiss Deby Itno before being beaten back with logistical help from some French forces.

Pray for peace in Chad.

Original Article: Click here

Chadian Rebels Advance on the Capital

Radio Netherlands, May 6: In Chad, rebels supported by Sudan have begun advancing towards the capital Ndjamena, says a spokesperson for the Chadian Union of Forces of the Resistance (UFR). The UFR is an alliance of eight rebel groups.

The spokesperson says there have been skirmishes between its forces and Chadian soldiers in the south-east of the country near the Sudanese and Central African Republic border. The rebels say they have destroyed 9 armored vehicles and captured 12 others.

Earlier this week, Chad accused Sudan of supporting an attack by the UFR. The Chadian rebels, who have bases in Sudan, reportedly crossed the border on Monday. The Sudan Tribune quoted Chad's Communications Minister Mahamat Hissene, who said the rebels had penetrated around 100 kilometers inside Chadian territory.

Sudan and Chad signed an agreement to normalize relations at the weekend in Doha, the capital of Qatar. Mr Hissene accused Sudan of sending armed forces across the border while "the ink has yet to dry on the Doha accord".

Today, May 7th, the Chad Minister of the Interior Ahmat Mahamat Bachir went on Chadian radio, saying that the rebels had been defeated. For their part, the rebels affirm that they are continuing to advance on the capital city. One thing is true, the fighting continues. Please pray for blessing on Chad in these tumultuous times, for Chadian families, aid workers, and other foreigners.

Click here to read the original article

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Please pray for Claire and Stephanie, held hostage in Sudan

These two humanitarian workers are being held in Sudan with the demand that those involved in the Zoe's Ark aid organization be re-tried, which seems unlikely. Please pray for their soon release, and safety while in the hands of their captors.

The original article from the BBC can be found here.

Threat to kill two Sudan hostages

Refugee tents in Darfur, March 2009 (image from Medecins Sans Frontieres)
Hundreds of thousands of people need aid in Darfur

The kidnappers of two aid workers in Darfur say they will kill them, unless six French aid employees convicted of abducting children in Chad are retried.

Chad's pardons two years ago for the French aid staff, three months after they were jailed, sparked public anger.

The Aide Medicale Internationale staff, a French and a Canadian woman, were seized in south Darfur a week ago.

The kidnappers have also threatened to target French interests if their demands are not met.

Armed men kidnapped the pair from their compound in South Darfur's capital, Nyala, about 100km (65 miles) from the border with Chad on 4 April.

'Treated well'

The pair have been named as Canadian Stephanie Joidon and her French colleague, Claire Dubois.

One of the kidnappers, who named his group as the Falcons for the Liberation of Africa, told Reuters news agency by telephone: "We demand France open the case of the Zoe's Ark criminals and judge them through a fair court.

"If the French government is not serious in negotiations with us and does not respond to our request, we will kill the two aid workers."

In 2007, six employees of French humanitarian group Zoe's Ark were convicted of trying to fly more than 100 children out of Chad to Europe without authorisation.

The group, who denied the charges, were sentenced to eight years of hard labour by a Chadian court, but were pardoned in March 2008 by Chad's president.

The kidnappers allowed one of their captives to speak to media by satellite telephone on Sunday.

Ms Joidon told AFP news agency: "We are being treated well. We do not know where we are. We wish [our families] much courage. We hope that all ends well."

It was the second kidnapping of aid workers since the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant last month for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir for alleged war crimes in Darfur.

Four workers with Medecins Sans Frontieres were kidnapped at gunpoint from their Darfur home on 11 March and later released.

Sudan expelled 13 aid agencies immediately after the indictment of Mr Bashir.


Tuesday, March 31, 2009

A university rector savagely beaten by the police in Chad

Please pray for Dr. Isaac and his family, for healing and strength. Pray also for Chad in this terrible time: for wisdom for the leaders, and provision for those who are going without and living in pain, both inside and out...

"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you: not as the world gives, I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." - John 14:27

APA: Dr. Isaac Danadji, the Rector of the University of Moundou, was savagely beaten last Saturday by the police for using coal in the refectory of the University, APA learned from sources. Moundou is the economic capital of Chad, 450 km (280 mi) south of N'Djamena.
Charcoal use has been prohibited in Chad for three months by the authorities.
When informed of the use of charcoal at the university, heavily armed brigade troops for the protection of the environment raided the premises of the institution located about fifteen miles north of the town of Moundou.
The soldiers found two bags of coal, which they burned in the courtyard of the University, causing anger among the students.
The brigade fired shots into the air to stop the grumbling of students, causing a real disturbance on campus.
For daring to protest against such brute force, the rector was knocked out by the officers of the brigade who then copiously beat him before throwing him into the back of their truck like a bag of coal, barefoot.
Mr. Danadji was then imprisoned for several hours before being released, having been completely disfigured, according to testimonies of the students.
The same fate was reserved for the vice-rector, Dr Gaston Tarkoudjal, who wished to come to the aid of his supervisor.
Since this incident, all classes have been interrupted at the University of Moundou.

The original article in French is posted at tchadactuel.com

Monday, February 2, 2009

Chad charcoal ban enflames public

People cooking in Chad

By Celeste Hicks
BBC News, N'Djamena

A ban on the use of charcoal in Chad is making life hard for people already struggling with high food prices.

Families are being forced to burn furniture, cow dung, rubbish and roots of plants in order to cook.

Since the clampdown was announced - officially in order to help the environment - charcoal has become almost impossible to find.

"I'm using wild products which I've harvested, such as palm fruits," said Nangali Helene, who lives in the capital N'Djamena.

We understand the need to protect the environment but we find it bizarre that the measures are so brutal and so sudden
Marie Larlem
Human rights activist

"But they make us ill - they don't burn properly and they give off a horrid smoke and smell. Last night we started burning the beams from the roof of our outhouse."

The price of a small bundle of dead wood has shot up from a few hundred CFA francs to 5,000F CFA ($12; £8).

Feelings are running high in the city, with the main opposition coalition organising a peaceful mass action over the next few days.

Please pray for those suffering as a result of this government ban, and for the government of Chad.

To read the full article from the BBC, please click here.

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Life in N'Djaména just got harder

In a bold move, the Chadian government has forbidden the use of wood charcoal in the capital city. According to a press release by the Party for Liberties and Development, wives and mothers no longer know how to prepare food for their children and their husbands. The price of fava beans, which the youth love so much to eat, has more than doubled. Cereal prices have soared in all markets. Finding firewood and coal, the only sources of domestic energy for the vast majority, has become an ordeal.

The Government has also adopted a series of tax measures in its finance law which will make the lives of the poorest Chadian citizens very, very difficult. They will be increasing the prices of construction materials, placing levy taxes on various houses and imposing other taxes which will eventually cause everyone to be homeless. Not long ago, the Government massively destroyed the homes of peaceful N'Djaména residents. Today it prevents them from preparing food, tomorrow it will increase the burden of taxes.

It is hard to understand how the Chadian government can prohibit the use of wood and coal, without proposing domestic energy alternatives. Many people will interpret this situation in a negative light, saying that the Chadian government has once again shown its contempt for all Chadians. Please pray that they will be aware of the danger of their acts to the security of their future, and that viable solutions would be found for them to promote the growth and development of their nation.

Links:
The original press release
IRIN article: Panic, outcry at government charcoal ban

Sunday, January 4, 2009

When will the "Big Attack" come?

In the eyes of many, the question is not "if", but "when"

For those living beside the Sudanese border, especially in Abéché, the big question is "When will the rebels attack?" Chadians and foreigners living there expect something to happen in January or February. President Déby is reported to be nervous about his position. Tchadactuel.com reports that one of his spies heard those at a celebration of Timan, who is one of the important military officials, saying "Mabrouk, Mabrouk" (Congratulations) to him. The spy assumed that they had gathered to plan a rebellion against the President, and those at the party were congratulating their new leader.

As a result, President Déby's Sudanese mercenaries began going around from house to house, confiscating weapons from all those who could potentially be in a rebellion against him.

At the same time, tchadactuel.com spoke of inter-rebel fighting in Bahai last week. If this report is true, it does not bode well for the united front the rebellion would need to succeed if they are to remove the authority from President Déby.

Friends in N'Djaména report that the president cannot trust his northern brothers, so he is turning to Christians for help. Last month he held a big Christmas party and invited many of his Christian friends to participate, all expenses paid. Since 2006, everyone in Chad has been anticipating the "big attack" that will overthrow President Déby and usher in a new government. So for three years, life in Chad has been characterised by fear, speculation and concern for the future.

With the intelligence capabilities at their disposal, many western governments lean to the pessimist's side, and are asking their nationals to think very seriously about living and working in Chad. Many countries are warning those holding their passports that if they are in Chad, their security becomes their own responsibility. Pessimists expect a new government to be more restrictive, more Islamic, more like Sudan and restrictive of religious freedom for non-Muslims.

A small number of optimists believe that a new government will bring peace and positive advancement to Chad at last. So some are praying for the rebellion to come quickly, others are praying that it would never come. Of course, the ideal situation would be that the government transition would come in a peaceful manner.

We pray that the Father who holds all days in His hands would be with the poor and the oppressed, the rich and the authorities, on that day, if it is to come. We can all thank God for each day that passes without a rebel attack entering Chad. Silence on this blog is a sign of God's mercy at work in this struggling nation!

And our prayers are especially with our friends who have been willingly living under this threat with a desire to make an Eternal difference in this country. We hear that there is an openness like never before to the Hope that only Christ can bring. God is blessing Chad in her greatest time of uncertainty.