EASTERN CHAD - USAID FIELD VISIT TO DOGDORE IDP

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 05 NDJAMENA 000674 SIPDIS AIDAC SIPDIS USAID/DCHA FOR MHESS, GGOTTLIEB, SBRADLEY DCHA/OFDA FOR KLUU, AFERRARA, ACONVERY, DLILLIE, AMALLEY DCHA/FFP FOR WHAMMINK, JDWORKEN DCHA/OTI FOR KHUBER USAID/AFR/EA FOR JBORNS NAIROBI/ECARO FOR JMYER; FFP FOR NESTES STATE FOR AF/C, AFR/WA, AF/EPS, EB, CRS, AND PRM STATE/AFR/WA FOR CGARRET STATE/AF/C FOR MASHRAF STATE/S/CRS FOR PNELSON-DOUBELIS, JVANCE, JBEIK STATE/PRM FOR NAHLSTEN, MLANGE, MMCKELVEY NSC FOR TSHORTLEY USUN FOR TMALY BRUSSELS FOR PLERNER, PBROWN, BKOBIE USEUCOM FOR USAID WANDERSON KHARTOUM/USAID FOR JMARKS GENEVA FOR NKYLOH ROME FOR RNEWBERG, HSPANOS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAID PGOV PHUM SOCI PREF PREL CD SUBJECT: EASTERN CHAD - USAID FIELD VISIT TO DOGDORE IDP SETTLEMENT REFS: A) NDJAMENA 0625 B) NDJAMENA 0633 C) NDJAMENA 0619 NDJAMENA 00000674 001.2 OF 005 -------------- Summary -------------- ¶1. The week of August 13, a USAID's Bureau for Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance (DCHA) field officer based in eastern Chad traveled to the internally displaced person (IDP) site of Dogdore, the largest IDP site in eastern Chad. Dogdore's proximity to the Chad-Sudan border and the potential for post-rainy season renewal of fighting between armed opposition groups and Government of Chad (GOC) forces and ongoing interethnic clashes, make security the major concern for the beneficiary population and humanitarian agencies alike. Although most basic needs have been addressed as of August, further analysis is required to determine food security needs after the rainy season. Despite insecurity, humanitarian services are being provided, including wat/san, education and child protection. Local authorities are appreciative of the contribution of humanitarian agencies to date, but predictably would like to see the host population receive a fair share of future programming. End Summary. -------------- Background -------------- ¶2. After a month's delay, having been thwarted by bad weather and airplane downtime for maintenance, the DCHA field officer traveled to Dogdore, where an estimated 30,000 IDPs reside along with 5,000 people in the host community. The Dogdore sous-prefecture comprises approximately 100 to 150 hamlets and villages located in a swath of land along the border, of which all but a few were emptied during the violence of the past year, according to local leaders. The IDPs now live interspersed among the host population in tents and other makeshift shelters. ¶3. According to local leaders, there are eight different ethnic groups from 99 villages present in Dogdore. The majority of the population are Dadjo, but Fur, Zaghawa, Tama, Kajakse, Moubi, Massalit, and Synaar are also present. A sheikh commented to the DCHA field officer that there are no significant interethnic issues between the groups and community matters that arise are discussed with a group of local sheikhs. The villages that the IDPs fled from are both near and far, the furthest being a two-or three-day walk over 100 km. (Comment: the estimates of distances varies greatly, with some saying that the furthest village was only 40 km away. End Comment.) -------------- Access -------------- ¶4. Dogdore is relatively insecure location due to its proximity to the border with Sudan, approximately 15 km away, and poor road access during the rainy season, both of which make it especially vulnerable. Humanitarian aid workers rely on air transportation to access Dogdore, often resulting in delayed arrivals and departures due to rain, which makes the airstrip unusable. Recently, a potential, alternative airstrip site was identified in Dogdore with better soil and drainage qualities, making it better able to withstand heavy rainfall and seasonal flooding. Action Contre la Faim (ACF) and Medecins Sans Frontieres/France (MSF/F) have agreed to hire and transport IDPs and local residents to work as day laborers at the site. With IDPs having limited access to agricultural land, large groups of prospective day laborers gather outside the ACF and MSF compounds every morning. The week of August NDJAMENA 00000674 002.2 OF 005 6, work on the airstrip began with removing 13 trees, bushes, and rain-fed grass. Several spots needed to be filled in with sand and gravel, but the overall soil condition was determined to be excellent for drainage and runoff. The new airstrip will be 800 to 900 meters in length and 40 meters in width. ¶5. Although the rainy season makes transport extremely difficult, there is a roadway, called "the donkey road," that MSF uses to transport supplies, and could be used in the future to deliver U.N. World Food Program (WFP) food. To date, food distributions in the area have been handled by the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC),which operates with its own pipeline and transportation. -------------- Overview of Humanitarian Operations -------------- ¶6. MSF/F, ACF, Save the Children (SC),and ICRC are the four international organizations currently working in Dogdore, with approximately a dozen expatriate staff members stationed in town. Current humanitarian operations include health, nutrition, water, sanitation, hygiene, shelter, agriculture, and education programs. ¶7. In June, MSF/F distributed approximately 5,000 lightweight tents to IDPs. Though expensive at approximately 300 Euros per tent, or USD 411, the tents have mosquito nets and can be quickly disassembled if IDPs choose to change locations and/or return home. MSF also provides health services, including therapeutic feeding for malnourished children, in Dogdore and other locations in the area. A mobile clinic operates in Daguessa and surrounding areas. MSF runs a primary care clinic with more than 900 consultations per week in Dogdore and also operates a 32-bed hospital. All health services are available to IDP and local populations. ¶8. MSF/F has also installed and manages a complex water system that treats and transports water from the wadi (seasonal river) Bahr Azoum 5 km away. Water is treated and piped into a reservoir, and then a network of water pipes deliver water from the reservoir to the settlement, providing for approximately 75 percent of the water needs in Dogdore. To cover the remaining needs, MSF trucks water from the reservoir to water bladders, which are installed in the northern sector of the site. Water, sanitation, and hygiene agencies report that the daily per capita consumption in Dogdore is between 16 and 18 liters per person per day, above the Sphere guideline of 15 liters of water per person per day. Due to the high cost of water trucking, two trucks operating each at a daily cost of USD 200, MSF has initiated a borehole drilling operation for the northern sector. MSF/F aims to develop twelve productive boreholes in the coming months. To date, one has been successfully identified and a second is in progress. Once sufficient water is being drawn from the underground aquifer, the costly water trucking operation will be terminated. ¶9. MSF/F has asked ACF to take over the operation of this water supply system, and ACF is gearing up to do so as early as October or November. AAACF has also identified hygiene promotion as an immediate priority for Dogdore and has begun working with IDPs to make improvements to several of the existing tap stands to minimize contamination by humans and animals. Sanitation is another concern, most of Dogdore is situated over rock at a depth of 1.5 m below the surface, making latrine construction difficult. To date, IDPs use defecation fields outside the site that MSF/F has paid IDPs to keep clean using donkey carts. ACF is considering a pilot program of above ground latrines. ¶10. ACF also implements food security activities, focusing on NDJAMENA 00000674 003.2 OF 005 vegetable gardening. Pilot activities are located in a protected area along the wadi, next to the huts of vulnerable IDPs such as widows and young mothers. The aim of the gardening activities is to improve the nutritional diversity of vulnerable households and provide supplemental income by selling produce in the local market. In the near future, ACF will take over management of the water system from MSF/F, as well as begin hygiene promotion initiatives. ACF also plans to initiate a four-month profiling exercise that will produce information on all IDP households in the site, including cultivation practices, food availability, and non-food item (NFI) needs. In August, ACF plans to conduct a nutrition survey to ascertain nutritional and morbidity information and trends. The results from the nutritional survey will help determine a food distribution strategy for September and beyond. ¶11. SC is initiating its program in Dogdore and has begun construction of a new compound. SC intends to construct 30 IDP schools using a low-cost, open-air approach with two classrooms each and to train literate IDPs who want to become teachers. SC also plans to develop a child protection program. ¶12. At the end of June, ICRC distributed a three-month ration based on 2,100 kilocalories per person per day, which is enough food to last the population until the end of the rainy season in September. Except for a skeletal logistics staff, ICRC has temporarily closed operations in Dogdore and is reportedly now working in some of the villages along the border. Some IDPs expressed concern that the three-month food distribution by ICRC was inadequate and that people were eating an average of twice daily. IDPs have claimed that some food rations are being sold to supplement income for essential household items. ¶13. Dogdore presents some interesting challenges for site management, largely due to uncertainties related to the proximity of the border and the presence of many ethnically diverse villages. The non-governmental organization (NGO) Concern is considering engaging in site management in Dogdore. In preliminary discussion with local leaders, including the Sous-Prefet, Chef de Canton, and IDP sheikhs, the notion of Concern taking on a coordination role was received favorably and the Chef de Canton offered land for Concern to build a compound on. The Sous-Prefet commented that before the crisis there were no NGOs working in the area and that better communication between NGOs, the humanitarian community, and local authorities was important. As Concern is already struggling to recruit staff for Goz Beida site management and is concerned about the tenuous security situation in Dogdore, the organization is not likely to begin site management in Dogdore before 2008. -------------- Local Responses and Prospects for Return -------------- ¶14. The DCHA field officer met with the Sous-Prefet for Dogdore, who was previously posted to KouKou and transferred to Dogdore four months ago. Traditional leaders also participated in the meeting, including the Chef de Canton and one of the IDP sheikhs. The group discussed the new airstrip, and the Sous-Prefet indicated tentative approval of the project. ¶15. The Dogdore Sous-Prefet expressed appreciation for the international humanitarian effort assisting Dogdore's IDPs and host population. The Sous-Prefet stated that given the possibility of protracted displacement, additional efforts should be directed towards the needs of the host population, and listed potable water, schools, and health services as priorities. The Sous-Prefet lamented the security situation along the border, mentioning the problems confronting the GOC, including Chadian armed opposition NDJAMENA 00000674 004.2 OF 005 group negotiations in Libya and the threat of renewed Arab militia and other Sudanese armed opposition group incursions from across the border. The Sous-Prefet was pessimistic that the area would become secure or that people would be able to return home by 2008, or even ¶2009. ¶16. According to the head sheikh in one of the IDP villages, for the moment there is a calm in Dogdore, but insecurity is the overriding reason that people will not return to their villages in the near future. On the subject of returns, the sheikh said that transport, water, schools, and clinics were the big incentives for people to return, once they had determined that it was safe enough. (Comment: The statement about incentives for return was repeated in other interviews, despite the fact that most IDPs had neither health nor education services in their villages of origin. End Comment.) ¶17. The head sheikh differed from other discussions about a returns strategy, suggesting that perhaps it made more sense for returnees to consolidate their points of return to areas that could sustain broader population bases, and not have everyone return to geographic places of origin. The sheikh acknowledged that despite the relatively good past relations between Chadian Arab ethnic groups and the sedentary populations, currently the Arab ethnic groups are well armed and perceived as aggressors. There is also evidence that Arab ethnic groups are now occupying some of the villages vacated by displaced African groups. The sheikh saw reconciliation roles being played by local, traditional authorities, such as the sultan and the chef de canton. He said it was up to the GOC forces to ensure a safe and secure environment, conducive to returns. He also stated that most IDPs had lost their animal herds, and that compensation would have to be part of the reconciliation agenda. -------------- Conclusions -------------- ¶18. SECURITY: As is the case throughout Chad's east, security is the overriding concern of IDPs, refugees, host communities, and humanitarian agencies. This is even more apparent in a border setting like Dogdore. The proposed peacekeeping force is not likely to extend to areas close to the border, like Dogdore. When the rainy season ends, it is expected that attacks and insecurity will increase. Although eastern Chad is calm at present, any attacks before the dry season would make evacuation of humanitarian staff problematic because there are no quick exit alternatives to small plane travel. ¶19. BASIC NEEDS: The basic needs of the IDP and host community populations are largely met, as of August 2007. The area of potential weakness is in the hygiene and sanitation sectors. ACF has begun to address hygiene issues, focusing on tap stand cleanliness. A pilot latrine construction project is being considered at SC school sites. Limited access to arable land and insecurity are likely to impact food security after the rainy season. The profile exercise and nutrition and morbidity survey to be conducted by ACF will give a better idea of household food security. However, ICRC, in collaboration with WFP, will need to anticipate the logistical requirements of food assistance beyond the rainy season. NFIs and food should be prepositioned as close to Dogdore as possible, perhaps in Goz Beida, to respond in the event of a worsening security scenario and increased displacement to Dogdore and other IDP sites near the border. ¶20. RETURNS: Due to security concerns, it is unlikely that IDPs will return in significant numbers to their villages of origin after the rainy season. In fact, because many or most IDPs have never had NDJAMENA 00000674 005.2 OF 005 education or health services in their scattered hamlets and villages, it is possible that the opposite phenomenon of "camp pull" may occur, increasing the IDP population. If the status quo or a worsening scenario should occur after the rainy season, there will be increased pressure on the scarce natural resources of the host community. Therefore, a percentage of humanitarian investments should be targeted to address the growing needs of the host population, including health, sanitation, water, and food security. ¶21. As the largest IDP site in eastern Chad, and given its precarious location near the border with Sudan, Dogdore may be a bellwether for what occurs in other, smaller, IDP sites in the border area. An improved airstrip will increase the reliability of scheduled flights to Dogdore, Goz Beida, and Abeche. A relatively small humanitarian community has done a great job under stressful circumstances in meeting the basic needs of the population. This is appreciated by local authorities, who are largely cooperative with humanitarian efforts, though have expressed a desire for closer consultations in the future. TAMLYN