UN'S JAN EGELAND COMES TO EASTERN CHAD

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 NDJAMENA 000678 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KIRF KPAO OIIP PGOV PHUM PREF PREL CD SUBJECT: UN'S JAN EGELAND COMES TO EASTERN CHAD REF: NDJAMENA 675 ¶1. (U) SUMMARY: During a visit to eastern Chad May 11, UN Humanitarian Coordinator Jan Egeland visited a makeshift camp for as many as 13,000 displaced Chadians driven from their villages on the border with Sudan by attacks by jandjaweed militias. Egeland urged local officials to assure security for humanitarian workers and explored options for strengthening protection of the refugee camps. END SUMMARY ¶2. (U) Because of a sandstorm that grounded most flights out of Abeche on May 11, the Ambassador was able to join Egeland and his entourage of UN staff, reporters, and Chadian officials for a visit to a camp for displaced Chadians outside the town of Goz Beida and for a discussion about protection issues in Abeche later that evening. -------------- Displaced Chadians near Goz Beida -------------- ¶3. (U) A few kilometers outside the Djabal camp for Sudanese refugees, Egeland's convoy pulled into a large settlement of huts made of woven mats and straw roofs. Over the last few months, thousands of displaced Chadians have been gathering there in search of sanctuary from attacks by jandjaweed militias. Since March, their numbers have swelled from 2,000 to the current population estimated to be as large as 13,000. According to the Sultan of Dar Silla and the local Prefet, jandjaweed militias have continued to attack villages and steal cattle virtually non-stop on the border near Goz Beida in recent weeks. ¶4. (U) While Egeland met representatives of the settlement and later toured Djabal camp, the Ambassador spoke with local UNHCR staff about the plight of the displaced Chadians. They said the Chadians are frequently seen in Djabal, coming to obtain water and medical care, but not food supplies. The food they brought with them or were able to obtain from the local villages and Sudanese refugees has so far been enough to meet their needs. The World Food Program has nonetheless stocked additional sacks of meal in its depot in Djabal in case emergency distributions are necessary during the approaching rainy season. A UNHCR medical expert described the nutritional health of the community as generally good, though also expressed concern about lack of latrines and the risk of diseases spreading during the rainy season. The displaced Chadians have so far resisted UNHCR's entreaties to move to nearby villages. -------------- Protection Issues -------------- ¶5. (U) At dinner in Abeche, Egeland told Mahamat Nimir Hamata, Governor of the Department of Ouaddai, that the UN refugee effort in eastern Chad could not continue without better protection for the relief workers. Egeland also noted his intention to present a report to the Security Council that could include discussion of options for protecting the refugees and displaced persons. Mahamat stressed that Chadian security forces in the area did not have the means to assure security. Even if UNHCR was prepared to assist the Chadian government in hiring additional guards for the camps, trained police were not available. He appealed for international help. ¶6. (SBU) On options for outside assistance, Claire Bourgeois, UNHCR's coordinator for eastern Chad, reported that the French have indicated a willingness to consider devoting more of their military resources in the area to protecting the camps, but would need a formal request from the EU or the UN to do so. Egeland noted that strengthening the means and the mandate of the small AMIS force in Abeche is also an option that could be considered as part of a package of new protection measures. Two members of a UNHCR survey team described their preliminary ideas for building up the capacity of Chad's security forces to patrol the areas between the camps and to establish a rapid response squadron. They will be presenting their conclusions in Geneva shortly. -------------- Press Events -------------- ¶7. (U) Egeland's contingent included reporters and photographers from CNN, BBC, Reuters, Bloomberg, and other news agencies. During the visit to the settlement for the displaced Chadians, the Ambassador was interviewed about the NDJAMENA 00000678 002 OF 002 Chad-Sudan border situation. The Ambassador highlighted U.S. determination to work for implementation of the Darfur Peace Agreement, an end to violence on the border, and support for the humanitarian relief effort. WALL