CRS Poised to Assist Chad Refugees
People pour across the Ngueli bridge over the Logone-Chari river into Cameroon, fleeing fighting in Chad's capital, N'Djamena. Photo by Emmanuel Braun, Reuters/Alertnet
February 6, 2008 — Heavy fighting between the Chadian army and a coalition of three rebel groups has led to tens of thousands of people fleeing to neighboring Cameroon.
In response, Catholic Relief Services is working with our partners in Cameroon, including Caritas and the local church, to conduct an assessment of refugee needs along border areas.
On the morning of February 6, the capital of N'Djamena was calm. Many Chadians are using the break in fighting to flee into the northern Cameroon city of Kousseri.
"The situation in Kousseri is really quite serious," said Jennifer Nazaire, CRS Cameroon country representative. "Chadians are pouring out of N'Djamena, and there's little set up to receive them at the moment. The Catholic Church in Kousseri, the local government, United Nations, and aid agencies are all scrambling to work out temporary and longer-term measures to host people. Fortunately, a lot of the humanitarian workers evacuated from Chad are available and motivated to respond, together with humanitarian agencies based in Cameroon."
People carry their belongings as they flee fighting in Chad's capital, N' Djamena. Photo by Emmanuel Braun, Reuters/Alertnet
CRS will be coordinating our response with Caritas International and our French and German Catholic partners, Secours Catholic and Misereor.
As of February 5, the local Catholic church in Kousseri was housing some 7,000 refugees in its school, health center and presbytery. The Diocese of Yagoua, of which Kousseri is a part, has purchased rice and will start initial food distributions.
Refugees Pour Into Cameroon
An estimated 20,000 refugees have crossed the river border from Chad into northern Cameroon, according to the United Nations high commissioner for refugees.
A constant stream of people was reported still crossing the border on the morning of February 5 and church officials in Kousseri expect more than 50,000 refugees by the end of the week. In a recent blog entry, CRS Chad country representative Christophe Droeven said the "fighting could resume quickly."
Droeven was one of over 200 people trapped in a French school, where gunfire could be heard less than 100 feet away from the building. "The walls were shaking. We opened the windows so they didn't shatter on us. Everyone was down under tables. We were talking to the children, trying to keep them calm. We were under the tables for seven hours," Droeven recounts.
Regional Perspective
More than 200,000 refugees have fled from Darfur into eastern Chad, finding shelter in camps run by agencies like CRS and its local partner, Secours Catholique et Developpement (Catholic Relief and Development). In eastern Chad, CRS is working with Secours Catholique et Developpement to manage three refugee camps, each roughly 30 miles inside the Chadian border. Together, the camps serve more than 31,000 refugees.
As security in the area deteriorates, the agency is concerned about the vulnerability of supply lines to those camps. Holdups in supplies could threaten the health and security of thousands of refugees and displaced persons from Darfur and Chad.
Our Work in Chad and Cameroon
CRS has been working in Cameroon since 1960 and has had an office in N'Djamena since 2002. Through the years, the agency has adapted its strategies and programs to the ever-changing needs of Cameroonian society.
