Despite crisis in Somalia, Chad is still the worst place to treat a sick child

(AFP, Dakar): Children in countries facing a dearth of health workers, mainly in Africa, are five times more likely to die from illnesses than those in developed countries, a Save the Children study showed Tuesday.
The new Health Workers Reach Index by the UK-based NGO shows that Chad is the worst place to treat a sick child, while Switzerland is the best, with 13 of the worst 20 countries for a child to fall ill in, in Africa.
Famine and war-wracked Somalia is the runner up for worst place. Countries like Laos, Nepal, Afghanistan and Bangladesh feature at the bottom.
Finland, Ireland, Norway, Belarus and Denmark are also at the top of the list.
"At the moment, a child's survival depends on where he or she is born in the world. No mother should have to watch helplessly as her child grows sick and dies, simply because there is no one trained to help," said Aboubacry Tall, the NGO's West and Central Africa regional director.
Children in these countries -- which have less than the World Health Organisation minimum of just over two health workers for every thousand people - are five times more likely to die than those countries at the top of the index.
The charity hopes to highlight a global shortage of over 3.5 million doctors, nurses, midwives and community health workers two weeks before a crucial UN meeting in New York.
Millions of children risk dying in countries like Ethiopia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone because of a lack of healthworkers. Please pray with us for God to call competent health workers, not only to Chad, but to all the nations at the bottom of this list.

To read the full article from AFP, click here.

Djermaya refinery delivers energy crunch

September 7, 2011: With the inauguration of the Chinese oil refinery in Djermaya, Chad, the market is doing its best to adjust to the new addition. The timing could not have been worse, as Chad finds itself in that period between the close of the rainy season and harvest, where the roads are at their worst.
Between a 40%+ tax on imported goods and the subsidized cost of production in Djermaya, imported gasoline and diesel just cannot compete with the price offered at the Chinese refineries.
Every gas station and fuel distributor in Chad (and perhaps elsewhere) wants to buy the cheaper fuel from the new refinery. As a result, suppliers are having difficulty keeping up with the demand, and everyone from motorcyclists to transportation companies to private companies who use generators, from N'Djaména to Goz Beïda, is struggling to provide their need for energy.
Please pray that immediate energy solutions may be found soon, and that long-term improvements will also be felt as time goes by.

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.”

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.

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 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

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

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.

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

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.

Trouble is Brewing

The Article below shows us what has been simmering under the surface all during the rainy season from May until now. The government forces and rebels are getting ready for the greatest clash of the Twenty-First Century. Please surround our beloved Chad in prayer at this time, that on the other side of all these troubles, Chad will find the peace and stability she so desperately needs...

October 7 (www.tchadactuel.com):

The Season of All Possible Hazards

The rainy season is over and everyone looks to the East. They are not to examining the sky to see if there will be rain or not. Rather, it is to try to discover when the "contact" between President Déby and the rebels will take place with its trail of misery for all Chadians. This "contact" will certainly happen, and both sides are preparing ardently. The rebels claimed that at the end of the rainy season, they will go hunting for Déby. As for President Déby, he has even suggested a date: October. Déby stated clearly in Amdjeress that his objective is to chase Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir out of power, and then he the rebels will disappear all by themselves.

Both sides are full of confidence and assurance. Déby has a serenity that he did not know before. The rebels say he is just putting a good face on a bad situation. While Déby has amassed an impressive armada of light and heavy weapons, transport planes, bombers, helicopters with night vision capabilities, etc... He has also sent all his war resources (physical and human) to the east. He has also invested heavily in buying consciences, both those of individuals and of ethnic groups. He does not skimp on ways and means, for he has plenty of them! Déby has allowed himself a stroll in Amdjeress, a region with a strong RFC presence. The rebels sneer, "Indeed, it is easy to go to Amdjeress when all the wadis are uncrossable because of the wetness of the season." In this rosy picture, there are few shady areas.

First of all, there is a perceptible tension within the President's family, along with various speculations: Déby reportedly escaped an assassination attempt, a palace revolution is apparently underway, and so on. Then his ally the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) is not in great shape because numerous deserters are bleeding out of their ranks, along with a strong lack of morale within the JEM ranks who are tired of being the mercenaries of Déby. There has been changes within the mobile regiment, Déby's shock troops. Tahir Erda, the Commander of the regiment, has been recalled to N'Djamena and has been replaced by a cousin of President Déby. He claims that this is simply a tactical decision because Tahir has remained long on the eastern front. Tahir Erda is the heart and lungs of the Déby defense forces. His being recalled from the eastern front just when the battle is about to begin is not at all a "tactical decision". Nor was the dismissal of Houno Abeguer Gouna a tactical decision, who is a strong fighter who is well known within the clan for not being afraid of a fight. We also learned that Déby's entourage when he traveled to Amdjeress asked permission to behead Younousmi. General Mahamat Saleh Brahim, the heat of the GNNT supported by Daoussa, is all the more determined to behead him, because he bluntly accuses Younousmi of being the principal financial donor for the rebellion! What a rat Younousmi is: as he provides financial help to Déby, he also provides financial backing to the rebellion! In another sign of impending shadows, desertions have resumed with a vengeance. There is not a day that goes by when at least one government soldier walks away and joins one of the rebel forces, often he bringing his vehicle with him. To close the brackets on the dark side of the troubles that seem to be working against Déby, it should be noted that the trench dug around N'Djamena has fallen in and become a very sandy dry river bed. Even the rains have voted in favor of the rebellion.

Contrary to the expectations of all their faithful supporters, the rebels have not at all advanced in terms of unity. Meetings take place within meetings, small discussions are happening within small discussions, and still nothing concrete has emerged from all this. Contrary to the concern of supporters who are watching this situation unfold from a distance, the rebels are highly optimistic and assure them that they will act in a united fashion, no matter what form their actions may take. AMEN!

Mahamat Ahmat
N'Djamena

Steve Godbold is Released!

July 25, 2008 [TEAM]: The Evangelical Alliance Mission (TEAM) is very pleased to announce the release of Cash Stephen Godbold, a missionary held captive in northern Chad for more than nine months.

Godbold was released by his captors in Chad on Thursday evening, July 24th. He was released near the town of Bardai in northern Chad, and is presently a guest of local officials in Bardai. Arrangements are in process to send an aircraft to Bardai to evacuate Godbold to N'Djamena. From there he will travel to the United States via Europe for reunion with family and colleagues, debriefings and medical checks.

Godbold was captured on October 10, 2007 in Zoumri in the Tibesti region of Northern Chad. He was assisting a Chadian non-governmental organization transporting water well drilling equipment into the Tibesti in order to provide clean and safe water to residents of the region. He is 49 years old and has served in Chad since 1991. He is married and has four children.

The Movement for Democracy and Justice in T'Chad (MDJT) claimed responsibility for Godbold's captivity. Mr. Choua Dazi, the President of the MDJT, made numerous statements to the international media and others during the months of captivity, reporting that Godbold would be released as early as last November. No explanation for the failure of the MDJT to honor those promises has been provided. Godbold was ultimately released following extensive negotiations between his captors and TEAM. TEAM emphasizes that Godbold's release was unconditional and that no ransom was paid and no concessions of any type were made to secure his release.

Dr. Charles Davis, International Director of TEAM, expressed gratitude and appreciation for the efforts of many organizations and individuals in Chad and the United States: "Governments, the church, other faith-based organizations and individuals worked together to make sure that Steve was kept safe and ultimately released. We are so very grateful for this assistance and praise God for every person and agency that helped bring Steve home."

Additional information will be provided as it becomes available during the repatriation and debriefing processes.

THANK YOU FOR PRAYING!

Picture and further information can be found at Reuters Africa (http://africa.reuters.com/wire/news/usnL6376781.html)

TEAM is requesting financial gifts to help pay for the contingency travel expenses to help get Steve Godbold Released.

Chadian rebels launch town attack

Chadian rebels launch town attack

Chadian rebels have threatened to advance on the country's capital

Anti-government rebels in Chad have launched an attack on the town of Goz Beida, near the border with Sudan.

The United Nations reported fighting in the town, which is home to 15,000 Darfur refugees.

A rebel leader said Goz Beida had fallen to his forces and they would take the capital N'Djamena by Sunday.

Chadian Communication Minister Mahamat Hissene told the BBC that government forces were being organised to defend the capital.

The rebels reportedly launched an offensive in the east of the country on Wednesday, and Mr Hissene said the rebels were being armed and organised by Sudan.

They claim to have twice as many vehicles and men as when they attacked N'Djamena in February.

The insurgents had sought to overthrow President Idriss Deby and they managed to reach his palace before being repelled.

*** Please pray for God:

• - to have mercy on the people of Chad
• - to protect the innocent as this latest attack unfolds
  
• - to bring lasting peace to Chad in which the country can move forward and develop in every way, as He chooses

Full Article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7454749.stm

Update on Steve; still held hostage

Mr. Godbold is a missionary with TEAM and has lived and worked in Chad for a number of years. On October 10, 2007 he was on a humanitarian mission, delivering equipment for water wells in the Tibesti when he was detained by MDJT forces in Zoumri. Mr. Godbold has been in the custody of the MDJT ever since.

PRESS RELEASE

TEAM Sends Plane For Hostage Steve Godbold

Following MDJT Announcement

For Immediate Release

April 30, 2008

The faith-based organization TEAM, located in the United States, announces that it has arranged for an aircraft operated by a medical non-governmental organization in Chad to fly to Bardai to receive Steve Godbold, who has been detained by rebel forces since October 10, 2007. TEAM also offers to allow a representative of the international media to accompany this flight to observe the process.

On April 28, 2008 the President of the MDJT, Mr. Choua Dazi, stated in an interview published by Liberté sans frontières and posted at www.dabio.net that Mr. Godbold is “free” and that the MDJT is seeking a means to facilitate his departure from the Tibesti region of Chad.

Mr. Godbold is a missionary with TEAM and has lived and worked in Chad for a number of years. On October 10, 2007 he was on a humanitarian mission, delivering equipment for water wells in the Tibesti when he was detained by MDJT forces in Zoumri. Mr. Godbold has been in the custody of the MDJT ever since.

During this period, spokesmen for the MDJT have promised several times to release Mr. Godbold:

• On October 18, 2007 Mr. Dazi told a reporter from RFI “This is the beginning of our investigation. I think that in a week’s time it will be decided. If he is innocent, then he will be freed, no problem.”
  
• On October 24, 2007 Mr. Dazi told a reporter from Reuters “In two or three days we will conclude (our investigation) and then we’ll see what preparations we can make to free him”.
  
• On November 5, 2007 Mr. Hissein Yaya Barka, Assistant General Secretary of the MDJT, told a French website “After a two-week investigation we have made the decision to liberate (Mr. Godbold) in the coming days.”
  
• On January 8, 2008 Mr. Barka issued a press release that said “On November 5^th, 2007, we made the decision to release him (Godbold)”.
  
• During this time, leaders of the MDJT also made private promises to a large humanitarian organization to release Mr. Godbold.
  

TEAM issued this statement today: “Although we do not understand why the MDJT did not follow through on its earlier public promises to release Steve, we appreciate and respect Mr. Dazi’s announcement yesterday that Steve is ‘free’. We have arranged for an airplane from a medical NGO based at a hospital in Chad to fly to Bardai as quickly as possible so that the MDJT can complete its commitment and return Steve to freedom. The airplane will go to Bardai on Friday, May 2. We call on Mr. Dazi and the rest of the leadership of the MDJT to honor their promise and their commitment and send Steve to Bardai to meet this plane.” TEAM also confirmed that it is seeking a member of the international media to accompany the flight as a guarantee of transparency and good faith in the process.

For further information, contact: cmt.presse@googlemail.com

Update: The plane went up to Bardai, and waited for the promised release of Steve. Unfortunately, Steve was not released, and the plane had to return without him. So the captivity of Steve continues...
Each day, our prayer for Steve has been, "Father, if today he is in the hands of the MDJT, may He be a blessing to those around him, for this is what he lives for. And if it is Your will, may Steve be released very soon and reunited with his family. Amen."

3000 homeless after fire breaks out in Chad refugee camp

From Wikinews, the free news source you can write!

A fire broke out in a refugee camp in eastern Chad Friday, April 11, leaving 3,000 people homeless and injuring 10, according to the United Nations (UN) refugee agency United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Refugees have been living in the camp as a result of the conflict in the Darfur region of Sudan.

The fire started in the Goz Amer camp triggered by a cooking fire that had gone unwatched. The fire moved quickly through the camp due to high winds. Many of the refugees lost all of their belongings and food rations in the blaze. After receiving tents from the UNHCR in 2004, many of the refugees built traditional dwellings out of sticks and mud, and these shelters burned rapidly in the fire.

In a UNHCR press release, Emmanuel Uwurukundo, acting UNHCR head in Koukou-Angarana said: "Everybody around, refugees and all our partners alike, rushed to the spot and tried to extinguish the fire with whatever they had: clothes, extinguishers and water. The teamwork was outstanding."

In Geneva the UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres commented on the situation: "The refugees have already suffered so much tragedy and now face yet another trauma. I am deeply relieved that there was no loss of life in this devastating fire. We will do everything we can to help and to get shelter and food supplies to them as quickly as possible."

Families affected by the fire were housed at three area schools, and the UNHCR announced on Friday that it planned to deliver aid supplies including sleeping mats, blankets and kitchen sets. The World Food Programme was also asked by the UNHCR for an extra monthly food ration to be delivered to the families whose homes were destroyed in the blaze.

The Goz Amer camp houses about 20,500 refugees, and is located approximately 70 kilometers from the Sudanese border. Goz Amer is one of 12 UNHCR-run camps along the Chad-Sudan which all told contain over 240,000 refugees from Darfur.

Chad and Sudan signed a peace agreement on March 13 in an attempt to end a five-year conflict, and the leaders of both countries agreed not to back rebel groups that are active near their borders.

Approximately 2.2 million people from the Darfur region have left their homes since the beginning of the violence in 2003. The UN puts the number of deaths due to the Darfur conflict at over 200,000, and the Sudanese government has said that only 9,000 have died.

Please pray for God to intervene with His hand of encouragement and blessing on behalf of the refugees in Goz Amer, and all the other camps in eastern Chad and western Sudan.

Chad: High Civilian Casualties in Rebel-Govt Crossfire

Posted to the web 3 April 2008

Ndjamena (IRIN): Fighting in recent years in eastern Chad between the government and rebels has usually taken place away from civilian populations, but in the latest battle on 1 April more than 50 civilians were killed and injured.

"One was a little girl who picked up an unexploded ordinance which then exploded in her face," Jan Peter Stellema, head of mission in Chad for the non-governmental organisation Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), told IRIN.

The fighting, which took place in Adé near the border with Sudan, left seven civilians dead and 47 wounded, he said.

Medical workers from MSF and the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) treated the injured civilians on the spot in Adé expect for the nine most serious cases which were transferred to facilities at the regional capital Goz Beida.

Stellema said MSF is "pleased that access had been granted to treat the civilians", but he also expressed concern that Adé's 1,000 inhabitants and the 10,000 displaced Chadians living alongside them remain vulnerable to attack and that they have been neglected by international aid agencies.

"Adé has one of the most underserved populations in eastern Chad. The UN has not gone there because of security concerns nor are other humanitarian groups present."

Only MSF and the ICRC have projects in the area, Stellema said. "MSF is providing health care but people there need is so much more."

Representatives at ICRC expressed concern that an escalation of the fighting would further hamper the delivery of humanitarian assistance adding that the high number of civilian causalities at Adé was a worrying development.

"The type and setting of past armed confrontations in eastern Chad has led to a very limited number of civilian causalities," ICRC deputy head in Chad Nicholai Panke told IRIN by email. "ICRC calls on all parties to [continue to] spare civilians from hostilities."

Hundreds of civilians were killed in Chad's capital N'djamena in early February when rebels temporarily entered the city. Some of the civilian causalities occurred when government forces attacked rebels with helicopter gun ships, observers told IRIN.

In the meantime border tensions are mounting with Sudan reportedly accusing Chad of sending a helicopter into Darfur which bombed the town of Um Kenjub, and firing a missile on the Sudanese military in the area. Chad's government denied the report.

Following the 1 April attack in Adé, 47 injured soldiers were flown by the French army, which is based in Chad, for treatment in hospitals in the eastern town of Abeche and N'djamena, a diplomat who asked to remain anonymous told IRIN.

IRIN contacted a French commander in Chad but he would not comment.

State radio said on 3 April that the army recuperated 45 heavily armed pickups that the rebels had abandoned. There is no information on numbers of rebels injured but ICRC confirmed the Chadian army had taken prisoners.

"ICRC will visit them over the next days to monitor their conditions of detention, as we usually do with all captured opposition fighters in Chad," Panke said.

Original article was posted on AllAfrica.com

CHAD: Foreboding with first rebel attack since February

01 Apr 2008 20:11:31 GMT

Source: IRIN

NDJAMENA, 1 April 2008 (IRIN) - An attack on government troops early on 1 April at the town of Ade in eastern Chad on the border with Sudan is the first serious attempt by the rebels to challenge government forces since February when the rebels got as far as the capital N'djamena before withdrawing.

"The attack today [1 April] could just be a single event but we fear that it is the beginning of a much larger offensive," according to a diplomat in N'djamena who wished to remain anonymous.

Dozens of government troops and many civilians were injured in the fighting which ended around midday, according to a source in Ade. Information on the number of rebel causalities was unavailable, nor was it clear whether the rebels had retreated into Sudan or moved southeast in the direction of the Chadian village of Modoyna which is near the border.

Sources in Ade confirmed that the attackers were part of the rebel National Alliance (NA), which consists of at least three rebel groups headed by Mahamat Nouri a former Chadian general who led the attack on Ndjamena in February. "What the rebels do next is anyone's guess," said the diplomat. "Maybe they just wanted to rattle their sabers and that will be it or maybe this attack was a decoy for larger rebel attacks that could soon take place elsewhere along the border and we are about to witness something big."

"The important thing is that everyone is preparing for any eventuality," he added, referring to the evacuation from N'djamena of diplomats, international aid workers and tens of thousands of civilians during the February rebel offensive.

The Chadian ministry of defense issued a statement saying that Sudan is behind the latest attack and calling the rebels "mercenaries" of Sudan's government. It said that Sudan had violated various accords with Chad notably the one signed on 13 Match in Dakar, in front of the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and other world leaders. A Sudanese military spokesman told Reuters in Khartoum: "Sudan's armed forces had no hand in what is happening in Chad - this is an internal matter."

Adé sees heavy fighting

April 1, 2008 (AFP): Fighting erupted Tuesday morning in the far eastern part of Chad between rebels and the army, two months after the attack that nearly overthrew President Idriss Deby of Chad Itno in N'Djamena, according to a leader of the rebellion.

"There is fighting to Adé (a border town of Sudan), and they are still going," said Gadaye Ali, the spokesman of the National Alliance (AN), which includes most of the armed groups hostile to President Deby.

"Government forces arrived, they attacked us, we in turn attacked them and we are now occupying Adé," said another rebel official who requested anonymity, on joint satellite telephone from Libreville.

No Chadian army spokespersons were able to be reached at this time.

On February 2 and 3, after crossing the country from their rear bases in Sudan in less than a week, the Chadian rebels had attacked N'Djamena, causing Deby the president to hide out in his palace.

The latter later repulsed the rebels, with the assistance of military support from France.

Darfur: New Attacks in Chad Documented (Human Rights Watch)

Not all sweetness and light

March 1, 2008: According to several tchadactuel.com reporters, the reality of the situation in N'Djaména and the country is the worst it has ever been in living memory. We hear that Sudanese mercenaries, unwelcome in their home country because of their stand against the Sudanese government, fought to assist the Chadian government to stay in power. Ever since they succeeded in pushing the rebels against the Chadian government away, they have been pillaging the homes of innocent civilians. They have also been raping women and girls in their homes with impunity.
The government has also expressed its intention to evict everyone from the Diguel and Gardolé quarters (neighborhoods) in N'Djaména, for their presumed support of the Sudanese government.
These post-battle disasters are leaving ordinary Chadians everywhere in an uproar. Please pray that the pillaging and raping of the innocent would stop, and that peace can be found between the people and their government once again.

For more information:
N'Djaména, ville prison ou ville ou pillulent des prédateurs?
Peuple tchadien, ta lutte est juste

More Than Trees are Falling

February 29, 2008: The BBC wrote an interesting article about the trees that are being felled on Charles De Gaulle Street in N'Djamena, one of the most important streets in the capital city. I have a nostalgic feeling about these trees that we so often did not notice when we would be downtown buying supplies or enjoying breakfast at a café, but whose absence would have spoken loudly. They brought shade and life to an otherwise hot and dry place. But because the rebels were able to hide behind them in the fighting, and may do so again, the Chadian government decided that they needed to be cut down.
In an arid country like Chad, one does not just decide to cut trees down without a reason. They will take decades to grow back, IF all goes well. So, despite their verbal assurances of having dealt a decisive blow to the rebels, the Chadian government has shown by their actions that they expect the rebels to be back soon, because actions show better what's inside than words.
Because of ambition and power, this conflict is cutting down more than innocent trees. Please pray for the innocent and suffering whose only home is the capital city, and for a lasting peace to come to Chad as soon as possible.

Click here to read the original BBC article

A bit of good news

February 26, 2008: According to tchadactuel.com, opposition politician Lol Mahamat Choua was returned to his family home in N'Djamena this evening by government soldiers. In a press release, Government officials indicated that this was a goodwill move leading up to the visit to Chad of French President Nicholas Sarkozi tomorrow.
Lol Mahamat Choua is the president of the RDP party, who disappeared at the same time as Yorongar Ngarlédji and M. Ibni Oumar Mahamat Saleh on February 3rd.
As he arrived home, Lol Mahamat Choua was very tired. He is currently under house arrest, and all non-family members were asked to vacate his home. Government officials say the house arrest will continue until the courts can conclude their investigation regarding his relationship with the rebellion forces, a claim his entourage immediately denies.
We thank God for his safe return to his family. Let us pray together that his freedom would be fully restored to him soon.

Click here to see the original AFP article