East Chad violence displaces 20,000 more – UN

Jan 5, 2006 (N’DJAMENA) — Communal violence in eastern Chad, including raids by mounted Janjaweed militia from Sudan’s neighbouring Darfur region, has displaced 20,000 people in the past fortnight, U.N. refugee agency UNHCR said on Friday.

The violence has brought the number of displaced Chadians to over 100,000, in addition to some 230,000 Sudanese nationals who have fled the Darfur fighting and now live in 12 camps dotted along the Chadian side of the border.

“The latest wave of violence over the past two weeks has resulted in the displacement of an estimated 20,000 Chadians,” UNHCR said in a statement.

“More than 10,000 of them fled their homes following cross-border attacks by alleged Janjaweed militia in the region of Borota. Another 10,000 from more than 20 villages have fled inter-communal hostilities and are now gathered in the village of Gassire, 8 km 5 miles) north of the town of Goz Beida,” it said.

“Resources are simply insufficient to meet the overwhelming needs,” Serge Male, UNHCR’s Chad representative, said in the statement, which highlighted problems with supplying water and firewood to displaced populations in the area.

Darfur’s civil war has been running since early 2003, pitting various local rebel groups broadly representing African farming tribes against central government forces and their mounted Arab militia allies, known as Janjaweed.

Along with the many refugees, violence has spilled over the border into Chad, forcing tens of thousands of villagers from their homes and endangering both the refugee camps and aid workers.

The security situation is further complicated by sporadic violence in the area between Chadian rebels and government forces, who accuse Sudan of arming the rebel groups.

(Reuters)