UN slams forced recruitment of Sudanese refugees in Chad

Mar 31, 2006 (NAIROBI) — The United Nations refugee agency on Friday called for an end to the forced recruitment of Sudanese refugees in Chad, warning that the practice is further evidence of mounting insecurity along the volatile border area.

Sudanese displaced children gather outside their tents in Sudan’s southern Darfur region in 2004..

In a statement received here, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said investigations by its teams and testimonies from refugees show that recruiting took place on a weekend — from March 17 to 19, when fewer humanitarian staff are present in the camps.

“UNHCR strongly condemns the forced recruitment of Sudanese refugees from Darfur by various armed groups in some of our camps in eastern Chad, breaching the civilian character of asylum and of our camps,” the statement said.

According to UNHCR, refugees said recruiters mainly targeted boys and men ranging in age from 15 to 35, with some of them even younger and most of were recruited by force, while some joined voluntarily.

In high-level meetings over the past week with Chadian authorities, UNHCR officials “strongly stressed that the civilian character of the refugee camps must be maintained at all times, and respected in all circumstances,” the statement said.

The Chadian government has promised to increase the deployment of gendarmes around the camps to prevent the entry of arms or armed individuals.

More than 200,000 refugees from Sudan’s Darfur region are in 12 UNHCR-run camps along the border in eastern Chad.

(Xinhua)