Worsened insecurity in October has caused a deterioration of the humanitarian situation in the area of Dogdore in eastern Chad, about 30 kilometers west of the border with Sudan, the UN humanitarian agency has said.
A statement from the UN Office of the Coordination for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) received here on Tuesday said the violence has affected over 26,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs).
"Humanitarian operations remain suspended in Dogdoré, with the exception of urgent activities such as responses to medical emergencies and the provision of drinking water," said Philippe Verstraeten, head of OCHA in Chad.
A number of aid agencies suspended almost all operations last month, affecting the provision of health services, the supply of clean water, and the delivery of nutritional supplements among other activities aimed at assisting the most vulnerable.
Eastern Chad currently shelters 315,000 refugees, with the majority being Sudanese escaping from the conflict in Darfur. Almost all of them depend on aid to survive.
The humanitarian agencies have pleaded with the Chadian government to provide security to their staff while asking the UN mission to reinforce its presence in those areas closest to Chad's eastern border with the Sudan, including Dogdore.
Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes also urged the government to "step up its efforts to improve security conditions in those areas, in the interest of the protection of civilians, so that full-scale humanitarian operations may soon resume."
"I call on the government of Chad to work closely with humanitarians on these issues, and I furthermore call on all belligerent parties to allow humanitarian activities to continue without hindrance," added Holmes, who is also emergency relief coordinator.
Holmes is slated to travel to Chad later this year amid a humanitarian crisis that is affecting over half a million refugees and IDPs which shows no sign of receding.
Source:Xinhua
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