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 تشاد- معسكرات لاجئي دارفور: إنفلات أمني، وفيات، وهجوم علي عاملي الإغاثة
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Quote: Aid workers who escaped last week's unrest said
they feared they could have lost their lives had they not fled the unruly
crowds. |
Quote: The UN refugee agency expressed deep regret today following
the deaths of two refugees during efforts by Chadian government
authorities to quell unrest in two refugee camps in eastern Chad. |
.......
22 July 2004
UNHCR regrets deaths of refugees in Chadian camp
GENEVA - The UN refugee agency expressed deep regret today following
the deaths of two refugees during efforts by Chadian government
authorities to quell unrest in two refugee camps in eastern Chad.
Aid workers in the area told UNHCR today that they saw two bodies, a
man and a woman, that had been taken from Farchana camp following Chadian
government operations to search for weapons at the site and seek out
the culprits of recent attacks on aid workers.
The Chadian government had previously ordered all aid workers other
than officials of CNAR - Commission Nationale d'Assistance aux Réfugiés,
UNHCR's government counterpart - to temporarily withdraw from Farchana
and Breidjing camps following the violence that erupted on July 13 and
July 16 respectively. Aid workers who escaped last week's unrest said
they feared they could have lost their lives had they not fled the unruly
crowds.
"The tragic death of these two refugees is yet another sign of the
precarious situation facing the some 200,000 Sudanese refugees in Chad,"
said Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees Wendy Chamberlin. "Protection
and assistance for the refugees is UNHCR's number one global priority."
Farchana camp shelters more than 11,000 Sudanese refugees who were
relocated from the border over recent months.
UNHCR urges both the Chadian government and refugees to explore all
avenues to resolve the situation without further violence. The agency has
taken part in repeated efforts to talk to the refugees, and has also
been working to get local tribal elders to intercede between the refugees
and the government in order to try to diffuse the situation.
The violence had started on July 13, when exiles protesting relief
agency efforts to improve conditions in the overcrowded camps attacked aid
workers in Farchana camp with rocks and other projectiles. On July 16,
knife-wielding refugees descended upon aid workers distributing food at
Breidjing camp.
Breidjing has more than 37,000 residents - having swelled to twice its
planned size due to the unexpected arrival of thousands of refugees who
spontaneously walked from the border with Sudan.
Following discussions between refugee leaders and government officials
on Tuesday, rocks and other projectiles were thrown at vehicles
carrying the Chadian officials from the meeting.
The Chadian government has so far made four attempts to talk with the
refugees, but was repeatedly rebuffed.
"We are deeply concerned about the deteriorating situation on the
ground," said David Lambo, who oversees the UN refugee agency's operations
in Africa. "Over recent days we have made every endeavour together with
the government to resolve the tensions in a peaceful manner. We are
continuing to work with the government to resolve similar tensions in the
other camp."
Aid workers and government officials say that men claiming to speak for
the more than 48,000 refugees living at the two sites have been making
conflicting claims during the ongoing discussions to diffuse the
tensions. Possible reasons behind the incidents include fears among some
refugee leaders that the international community was unwilling to help them
to speedily return home, but instead wanted to keep them in camps.
Meanwhile, conditions at the camps have worsened since aid workers were
asked to leave, with key activities like water distribution and
sanitation work winding down, leaving refugees at the two sites dependent on
shallow wells. Other key assistance like food and shelter distribution
and the provision of medical care have also halted.
UNHCR is concerned that the two camps' majority population of women and
children are affected by the interruption of relief activities. A food
distribution is planned for August 1 at the sites near Adre, but this
will depend upon the security situation.
The Chadian government has ultimate responsibility for maintaining
security in the camps.
Website: www.unhcr.ch
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إيمان أحمد
فيس بوك
تويتر
انستقرام
يوتيوب
بنتيريست