CHAD: CONTINUED INDICATIONS OF INSECURITY IN

UNCLAS NDJAMENA 000789

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR PRM, AF, LONDON AND PARIS FOR AFRICA WATCHERS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ASEC PHUM CASC PGOV
SUBJECT: CHAD: CONTINUED INDICATIONS OF INSECURITY IN

REFUGEE CAMPS


1. (SBU) SUMMARY: PRM DAS Fitzgerald visited Sudanese
refugee camps in Eastern Chad June 1-2. Recruitment appears
to be taking place in Oure Cassoni and Mile camps, and armed
elements are in extremely close proximity to the Oure
Cassoni camp. Humanitarian workers continue to face the
threat of vehicle theft, and there is little confidence that
Chadian gendarme protection will be able to deter further
attacks against humanitarian organizations. END SUMMARY.


2. (SBU) On June 1 and June 2, PRM DAS William Fitzgerald
visited the Oure Cassoni camps in Bahai and the Mile camp in
Guereda to meet with the United Nations High Commissioner
for Refugees (UNHCR) and partner organizations, local
authorities, and refugees. DAS Fitzgerald was accompanied
by UNHCR's external affairs officer and Embassy's E/C
officer. Discussions focused on insecurity in the refugee
camps and current humanitarian operations.

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OURE CASSONI: RECRUITMENT, PRESENCE OF ARMED SUDANESE
ELEMENTS
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3. (SBU) In the Oure Cassoni camp in Bahai, humanitarian
workers told Fitzgerald on June 1 that while they have not
witnessed recruitment first-hand, they have received
accounts from refugees who asserted that their children were
forcefully recruited to join JEM and SLA elements.
Humanitarian workers noted the presence of armed Sudanese
elements within the camp on May 31 who claimed that they
were visiting relatives and receiving medical treatment.
They pointed out that gendarmes did little to impede their
movement within the camps. Humanitarian workers also told
Fitzgerald that, according to Sudanese refugees, a group of
approximately 500 Sudanese rebels were camping a few
kilometers from the Oure Cassoni camp, across the Carrieri
Lake in Sudan. According to the humanitarian agencies, the
presence of armed elements close to the refugee camp was a
troubling sign, as the camp would be affected by any violent
interaction between the armed elements and any opposing
forces.


4. (SBU) During a meeting with the Prefect of Bahai,
Fitzgerald raised the concern among international partners
of the recruitment of refugees and presence of armed
elements within the refugee camps. The Prefect assured him
that GOC authorities were opposed to any level of
recruitment, and would take all appropriate measures to
discourage recruitment. The Prefect added that he spoke
directly with refugee leaders, who stated that recruitment
was not taking place in the camps. He also stated that he
spoke directly to members of the armed Sudanese elements
across the border near the Carrieri Lake, who told the
Prefect that they would not engage in forced recruitment,
and in no way harm humanitarian workers or refugees while in
the refugee camps.

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GUEREDA: INSECURITY FOR HUMANITARIAN WORKERS
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5. (SBU) On June 2, UNHCR officers in Guereda reported on
specific cases of recruitment in the Mile camp with
Fitzgerald. In one case, humanitarian workers met a mother
who complained that her son had been beaten and forcefully
taken away by men who claimed to be members of the Sudanese
rebel movement one week ago. However, as in the Oure
Cassoni camp, they could not confirm these reports. During
a meeting with the Prefect of Guereda on the same day, the
Prefect noted his concern to Fitzgerald of reports of
recruitment, and stated that he would work with humanitarian
workers to ensure that recruitment would not take place in
the refugee camps.


6. (SBU) Humanitarian workers reported further cases of
vehicle thefts in Guereda. Prior to Fitzgerald's visit,
armed, unidentified individuals in military fatigues stole a
vehicle from the Chadian National Refugee Committee (CNAR)
in Guereda, and one gendarme was killed in the firefight

that ensued between the perpetrators and GOC officials.
UNHCR noted that Guereda and Iriba were becoming areas
notorious for vehicle thefts, and of the 27 vehicles that
had been stolen since October, a large number came from that
area. They pointed out that as long as vehicle theft
continued to be a problem, their operational capacity would
be significantly hampered.

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LACK OF GENDARME CAPACITY, AND DIFFERENCES WITH GOC
AUTHORITIES
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7. (SBU) Humanitarian organizations in both Guereda and
Iriba noted that gendarmes and local authorities were being
cooperative and assisting the organizations with maintaining
security in and around the camps. Local authorities kept
direct communication links to UNHCR through radios and
satellite phones, and were readily available for any
specific security requests from the organization and its
partners. However, humanitarian organizations maintained
that the gendarmes still lacked the numbers and resources to
effectively provide protection to the camps (currently, 23
gendarmes are posted in Bahai and 35 are posted for the
camps in Guereda). The prefects of Bahai and Guereda, as
well as their respective gendarme commanders, admitted that
the gendarme units lacked the manpower and equipment to be
fully effective.


8. (SBU) Humanitarian organizations stated that while local
officials were supportive in assisting security efforts on
the ground, Chadian authorities in N'Djamena did not appear
as cooperative. UNHCR officials noted the fact that
gendarmes that were supposed to be provided for camp
security to reinforce the existing numbers had yet to be
provided. At the same time, organizations told Fitzgerald
in a town hall meeting on June 2 in Abeche that GOC custom
officials were not permitting specific communication
equipment, such as radios and satellite phones, to pass
through customs at the N'Djamena airport. Without these
means of communication to contact others in the event of an
emergency, they noted, they would be unable to ensure safety
for humanitarian workers. The Prefect of Abeche, who was
also present in the meeting, stated that he had spoken with
GOC authorities, and they would try to ensure that future
shipments of communications equipments would reach the
humanitarian organizations in a prompt manner.

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COMMENT
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9. (SBU) Infiltration of armed elements into refugee camps,
as well as a Sudanese rebel presence just outside the Oure
Cassoni camp, makes the area highly insecure for the
refugees as well as the humanitarian workers. While Chadian
authorities have stated their commitment to preventing
recruitment and ensuring the personal safety of humanitarian
workers, they appear to lack the means to fulfill their
objectives, and receive little support from authorities in
N'Djamena.