The United Nations refugee agency has begun moving some of the estimated 14,000 refugees who recently fled violence in the Central African Republic (CAR) away from the border in southern Chad to more accessible areas.
Ron Redmond, spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), said at a press briefing in Geneva on Tuesday that the first group of nearly 700 people was transferred Saturday from the border town of Maya to a temporary transit site 25 km further inland, near the village of Dembo.
"By the end of this week, we expect to have moved around 4,250 refugees to the Dembo site opened by the UNHCR, its partner African Concern and local authorities," he said.
Once they arrive at the site, the refugees will receive tents, blankets, mats, jerry cans and plastic sheeting from the UNHCR, and food aid from the UN World Food Programme (WFP).
Redmond added that the UNHCR plans to further relocate the refugees from Dembo to established refugee camps near Gor, the main town in southern Chad, as Dembo could be flooded during the upcoming rainy season.
The refugees began arriving in southern Chad earlier this year, having fled rebel and bandit attacks in their homeland.
Before the latest influx, Chad was hosting some 45,000 Central African refugees at four sites in its south.
Meanwhile, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) reported that 83 refugee children rescued from an attempted kidnapping by activists from the French aid group Arche de Zoe last October have now been reunited with their families in Chad.
Another 13 children are expected to be reunited with their families Friday, according to UNICEF, which has been caring for the children since the arrest of the activists.
Source:Xinhua
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