CHAD WEEKLY HUMANITARIAN UPDATE

UNCLAS NDJAMENA 000235



STATE FOR AF/C, S/USSES AND PRM/AFR
NSC FOR GAVIN
LONDON FOR POL -- LORD
PARIS FOR POL -- KANEDA
ADDIS ABABA ALSO FOR AU

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREF PREL PHUM SU CD
SUBJECT: CHAD WEEKLY HUMANITARIAN UPDATE

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INTERAGENCY STEERING COMMITTEE MEETING
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1. RefCoord participated in the latest IASC meeting June 9 led by
the Humanitarian Coordinator and attended by UNDSS, as well as
representatives of humanitarian organizations. DSS reported that
crime levels are increasing in eastern Chad as is usual at the
beginning of rainy season, with a particular increase of incidents
in Farchana, Goz Beida, and Abeche. In Abeche, DSS is seeing gang
proliferation and a trend of incidents targeting humanitarian
national staff from southern Chad. Hostility from the local
population directed against organizations hiring better-educated
southerners is a long-standing issue in the East, but targeted
criminal acts are a new manifestation.


2. DSS reported that recent violence in northeastern CAR led several
hundred individuals to flee toward the MINURCAT base in Birao
seeking safe-haven. The fighting last week in Birao was a
manifestation of ongoing conflict between Kara and Goula aimed at
the Central African Republic Military (FACA) and the UFDR. This
persistent insecurity poses a particular problem for humanitarian
organizations assisting Central African refugees in southeastern
Chad. As reported in last week's WAR, WFP was experiencing
difficulty in delivering food assistance through Chad and had
resorted to using CAR stocks transported from Bangui through Ndele
and across the border to Daha. As a result of recent fighting, that
route has been blocked. DSS reported to meeting participants that
conditions in CAR are deteriorating rapidly, and these routes are
likely to remain closed to humanitarian activity for the near
future. Complicating the delivery of assistance on the CAR side of
the border, three NGOs operating there were evacuated following the
fighting. In addition, a local ICRC staff member was recently
killed in Birao by armed men. UNHCR, UNICEF and relevant NGOs
present in Daha will remain vigilant for further inflows but doubt
that the violence in Birao will drive refugees to Daha since they
would have to cross approximately 60 km of insecure territory to
reach the new refugee sites in Chad. They are more likely to remain
IDPs in the relatively secure vicinity of the MINURCAT base in
Birao.


3. OCHA-Geneva representative Andreas Schuetz reported to IASC
participants on his completed preparatory mission to Chad in advance
of a Phase II Cluster Evaluation mission scheduled for October,

2009. Phase II Cluster Evaluations, which will take place in six
countries including Chad, aim to evaluate the cluster approach to
aide provision in terms of improving humanitarian response.
Schuetz, who is part of the OCHA Evaluation Studies Section,
described his role as: briefing the UN Country Team and relevant
partners on the upcoming evaluation mission, establishing the
necessary working relationships to facilitate effective management
and implementation of the evaluation, identifying appropriate
indicators for performance measurement, and analyzing possible site
locations. In a separate meeting June 8, RefCoord gave Schuetz Chad
specific input on the evaluation model developed by OCHA.

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FIELD ACTIVITIES AND DONOR COORDINATION
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4. Embassy's Defense Attache attended a June 12 hand-over ceremony
involving approximately 78 child soldiers captures after the May
Chadian rebel offensive in the East; the group was transferred to
UNICEF by the Chadian MoD in the presence of diplomatic
representatives and local Red Cross officials. RefCoord met with
UNICEF Representative Marzio Babile June 5 at his request to discuss
efforts to demobilize the rebel child soldiers. RefCoord took the
opportunity to raise questions regarding implementation of
PRM-funded health and education programs in southern and eastern
Chad. Babile acknowledged that UNICEF had not been adequately
staffed in these sectors for many months. He told RefCoord he was
in the process of hiring for several key positions including a
health coordinator in Ndjamena. UNICEF plans to increase its staff
to include teams of five in both the South and the East. This
should improve the organization's ability to provide drugs and
services to NGO and MOH partners as well as provide
capacity-building programs and advocacy in the education sector.
RefCoord and Babile agreed to discuss these plans with relevant
field managers in more detail once UNICEF has completed its current
proposal for PRM funding.


5. RefCoord and ECHO Representative Duccio Staderini met June 10 to
exchange information about mutually-funded partners and discuss
donor coordination for health care provision in Iriba. ECHO has
completed its funding strategy for the year, while PRM/AFR is
processing proposals received in the last round. Mutual NGO
partners include; IRC, which is providing assistance in Bahai and
Hadjr Hadid; IMC, which is working in Guereda and Iriba; and CORD,
which is present in the four Farchana camps. Based on this and
prior discussions, it is clear that ECHO and PRM are pursuing
complementary funding strategies with common partners. RefCoord and
Staderini also agreed that current fuel shortages in eastern Chad
warrant a future meeting with UNHAS to better understand the
possibilities for independent fuel sourcing. (Fuel shortages due to
supply chain problems caused UNHAS to briefly decrease the number of
flights to the field in April and continue to affect the UN
peacekeepers' ability to provide escorts to humanitarian convoys in
the East.) In Iriba, both IMC and CAM have representatives on the
ground preparing for the takeover of the hospital and clinics from
MSF-Luxembourg. Final funding arrangements have ECHO financing IMC
to manage the hospital and two village health centers, while PRM
supports CAM to run two camp clinics. UNHCR and UNICEF will fill in
funding gaps for both operations.

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NGO NEWS
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6. RefCoord met with RET Global Program Manager Guillaume Villard
and Regional Program Manager Benoit Dansembourg June 5 regarding
changes to RET's program included in the latest proposal for PRM
funding. Dansembourg reported significant progress in negotiating
an MOU with the Sudanese Ministry of Education which would provide
accreditation for RET's secondary education programs in Chadian
refugee camps. UNHCR and UNICEF have yet to reach an understanding
on accreditation with the GOS, but provided input to RET's MOU.
Based on this progress, RET is proposing to expand its current
secondary education programs to build and run classes in Oure
Cassoni, Touloum, Bredjing, Treguine, Djabal and Goz Amer camps.
This represents a significant increase in the program for which the
organization is requesting a correspondingly significant increase in
its budget over last year's figures. The new proposal also includes
a strategic framework for future programs based on the use of a
Sudanese curriculum, which the sector has thus far lacked. RET
conducted comprehensive interviews with refugees in each of the
camps; the overwhelming majority indicated their preference for a
Sudanese curriculum. RefCoord emphasized the need to coordinate
closely with other organizations including JRS, CORD, and CARE,
which are managing education programs in the same camps to avoid
duplication of effort and to ensure that all are using the same
curriculum.


BREMNER