VZCZCXRO2277
RR RUEHGI RUEHMA RUEHROV
DE RUEHNJ #0674/01 2281637
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 161637Z AUG 07
FM AMEMBASSY NDJAMENA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5635
RUEHNR/AMEMBASSY NAIROBI 0751
INFO RUCNFUR/DARFUR COLLECTIVE
RUEHRN/USMISSION UN ROME 0052
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 05 NDJAMENA 000674 
 
SIPDIS 
 
AIDAC 
SIPDIS 
 
USAID/DCHA FOR MHESS, GGOTTLIEB, SBRADLEY 
DCHA/OFDA FOR KLUU, AFERRARA, ACONVERY, DLILLIE, AMALLEY 
DCHA/FFP FOR WHAMMINK, JDWORKEN 
DCHA/OTI FOR KHUBER 
USAID/AFR/EA FOR JBORNS 
NAIROBI/ECARO FOR JMYER; FFP FOR NESTES 
STATE FOR AF/C, AFR/WA, AF/EPS, EB, CRS, AND PRM 
STATE/AFR/WA FOR CGARRET 
STATE/AF/C FOR MASHRAF 
STATE/S/CRS FOR PNELSON-DOUBELIS, JVANCE, JBEIK 
STATE/PRM FOR NAHLSTEN, MLANGE, MMCKELVEY 
NSC FOR TSHORTLEY 
USUN FOR TMALY 
BRUSSELS FOR PLERNER, PBROWN, BKOBIE 
USEUCOM FOR USAID WANDERSON 
KHARTOUM/USAID FOR JMARKS 
GENEVA FOR NKYLOH 
ROME FOR RNEWBERG, HSPANOS 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: EAID PGOV PHUM SOCI PREF PREL CD
 
SUBJECT:  EASTERN CHAD - USAID FIELD VISIT TO DOGDORE IDP 
SETTLEMENT 
 
REFS: A) NDJAMENA 0625 B) NDJAMENA 0633 C) NDJAMENA 0619 
 
NDJAMENA 00000674  001.2 OF 005 
 
 
------- 
Summary 
------- 
 
¶1. The week of August 13, a USAID's Bureau for Democracy, Conflict, 
and Humanitarian Assistance (DCHA) field officer based in eastern 
Chad traveled to the internally displaced person (IDP) site of 
Dogdore, the largest IDP site in eastern Chad.  Dogdore's proximity 
to the Chad-Sudan border and the potential for post-rainy season 
renewal of fighting between armed opposition groups and Government 
of Chad (GOC) forces and ongoing interethnic clashes, make security 
the major concern for the beneficiary population and humanitarian 
agencies alike.  Although most basic needs have been addressed as of 
August, further analysis is required to determine food security 
needs after the rainy season.  Despite insecurity, humanitarian 
services are being provided, including wat/san, education and child 
protection.  Local authorities are appreciative of the contribution 
of humanitarian agencies to date, but predictably would like to see 
the host population receive a fair share of future programming.  End 
Summary. 
 
---------- 
Background 
---------- 
 
¶2.  After a month's delay, having been thwarted by bad weather and 
airplane downtime for maintenance, the DCHA field officer traveled 
to Dogdore, where an estimated 30,000 IDPs reside along with 5,000 
people in the host community.  The Dogdore sous-prefecture comprises 
approximately 100 to 150 hamlets and villages located in a swath of 
land along the border, of which all but a few were emptied during 
the violence of the past year, according to local leaders.  The IDPs 
now live interspersed among the host population in tents and other 
makeshift shelters. 
 
¶3.  According to local leaders, there are eight different ethnic 
groups from 99 villages present in Dogdore.  The majority of the 
population are Dadjo, but Fur, Zaghawa, Tama, Kajakse, Moubi, 
Massalit, and Synaar are also present.  A sheikh commented to the 
DCHA field officer that there are no significant interethnic issues 
between the groups and community matters that arise are discussed 
with a group of local sheikhs.  The villages that the IDPs fled from 
are both near and far, the furthest being a two-or three-day walk 
over 100 km.  (Comment: the estimates of distances varies greatly, 
with some saying that the furthest village was only 40 km away.  End 
Comment.) 
 
------ 
Access 
------ 
 
¶4.  Dogdore is relatively insecure location due to its proximity to 
the border with Sudan, approximately 15 km away, and poor road 
access during the rainy season, both of which make it especially 
vulnerable.  Humanitarian aid workers rely on air transportation to 
access Dogdore, often resulting in delayed arrivals and departures 
due to rain, which makes the airstrip unusable.  Recently, a 
potential, alternative airstrip site was identified in Dogdore with 
better soil and drainage qualities, making it better able to 
withstand heavy rainfall and seasonal flooding.  Action Contre la 
Faim (ACF) and Medecins Sans Frontieres/France (MSF/F) have agreed 
to hire and transport IDPs and local residents to work as day 
laborers at the site.  With IDPs having limited access to 
agricultural land, large groups of prospective day laborers gather 
outside the ACF and MSF compounds every morning.  The week of August 
 
NDJAMENA 00000674  002.2 OF 005 
 
 
6, work on the airstrip began with removing 13 trees, bushes, and 
rain-fed grass.  Several spots needed to be filled in with sand and 
gravel, but the overall soil condition was determined to be 
excellent for drainage and runoff.  The new airstrip will be 800 to 
900 meters in length and 40 meters in width. 
 
¶5.  Although the rainy season makes transport extremely difficult, 
there is a roadway, called "the donkey road," that MSF uses to 
transport supplies, and could be used in the future to deliver U.N. 
World Food Program (WFP) food.  To date, food distributions in the 
area have been handled by the International Committee for the Red 
Cross (ICRC), which operates with its own pipeline and 
transportation. 
 
----------------------------------- 
Overview of Humanitarian Operations 
----------------------------------- 
 
¶6.  MSF/F, ACF, Save the Children (SC), and ICRC are the four 
international organizations currently working in Dogdore, with 
approximately a dozen expatriate staff members stationed in town. 
Current humanitarian operations include health, nutrition, water, 
sanitation, hygiene, shelter, agriculture, and education programs. 
 
¶7.  In June, MSF/F distributed approximately 5,000 lightweight tents 
to IDPs.  Though expensive at approximately 300 Euros per tent, or 
USD 411, the tents have mosquito nets and can be quickly 
disassembled if IDPs choose to change locations and/or return home. 
MSF also provides health services, including therapeutic feeding for 
malnourished children, in Dogdore and other locations in the area. 
A mobile clinic operates in Daguessa and surrounding areas.  MSF 
runs a primary care clinic with more than 900 consultations per week 
in Dogdore and also operates a 32-bed hospital.  All health services 
are available to IDP and local populations. 
 
¶8.  MSF/F has also installed and manages a complex water system that 
treats and transports water from the wadi (seasonal river) Bahr 
Azoum 5 km away.  Water is treated and piped into a reservoir, and 
then a network of water pipes deliver water from the reservoir to 
the settlement, providing for approximately 75 percent of the water 
needs in Dogdore.  To cover the remaining needs, MSF trucks water 
from the reservoir to water bladders, which are installed in the 
northern sector of the site.  Water, sanitation, and hygiene 
agencies report that the daily per capita consumption in Dogdore is 
between 16 and 18 liters per person per day, above the Sphere 
guideline of 15 liters of water per person per day.  Due to the high 
cost of water trucking, two trucks operating each at a daily cost of 
USD 200, MSF has initiated a borehole drilling operation for the 
northern sector.  MSF/F aims to develop twelve productive boreholes 
in the coming months.  To date, one has been successfully identified 
and a second is in progress.  Once sufficient water is being drawn 
from the underground aquifer, the costly water trucking operation 
will be terminated. 
 
¶9.  MSF/F has asked ACF to take over the operation of this water 
supply system, and ACF is gearing up to do so as early as October or 
November.  AAACF has also identified hygiene promotion as an 
immediate priority for Dogdore and has begun working with IDPs to 
make improvements to several of the existing tap stands to minimize 
contamination by humans and animals.  Sanitation is another concern, 
most of Dogdore is situated over rock at a depth of 1.5 m below the 
surface, making latrine construction difficult.  To date, IDPs use 
defecation fields outside the site that MSF/F has paid IDPs to keep 
clean using donkey carts.  ACF is considering a pilot program of 
above ground latrines. 
 
¶10.  ACF also implements food security activities, focusing on 
 
NDJAMENA 00000674  003.2 OF 005 
 
 
vegetable gardening. Pilot activities are located in a protected 
area along the wadi, next to the huts of vulnerable IDPs such as 
widows and young mothers.  The aim of the gardening activities is to 
improve the nutritional diversity of vulnerable households and 
provide supplemental income by selling produce in the local market. 
In the near future, ACF will take over management of the water 
system from MSF/F, as well as begin hygiene promotion initiatives. 
ACF also plans to initiate a four-month profiling exercise that will 
produce information on all IDP households in the site, including 
cultivation practices, food availability, and non-food item (NFI) 
needs.  In August, ACF plans to conduct a nutrition survey to 
ascertain nutritional and morbidity information and trends.  The 
results from the nutritional survey will help determine a food 
distribution strategy for September and beyond. 
 
¶11.  SC is initiating its program in Dogdore and has begun 
construction of a new compound.  SC intends to construct 30 IDP 
schools using a low-cost, open-air approach with two classrooms each 
and to train literate IDPs who want to become teachers.  SC also 
plans to develop a child protection program. 
 
¶12.  At the end of June, ICRC distributed a three-month ration based 
on 2,100 kilocalories per person per day, which is enough food to 
last the population until the end of the rainy season in September. 
Except for a skeletal logistics staff, ICRC has temporarily closed 
operations in Dogdore and is reportedly now working in some of the 
villages along the border.  Some IDPs expressed concern that the 
three-month food distribution by ICRC was inadequate and that people 
were eating an average of twice daily.  IDPs have claimed that some 
food rations are being sold to supplement income for essential 
household items. 
 
¶13.  Dogdore presents some interesting challenges for site 
management, largely due to uncertainties related to the proximity of 
the border and the presence of many ethnically diverse villages. 
The non-governmental organization (NGO) Concern is considering 
engaging in site management in Dogdore.  In preliminary discussion 
with local leaders, including the Sous-Prefet, Chef de Canton, and 
IDP sheikhs, the notion of Concern taking on a coordination role was 
received favorably and the Chef de Canton offered land for Concern 
to build a compound on.  The Sous-Prefet commented that before the 
crisis there were no NGOs working in the area and that better 
communication between NGOs, the humanitarian community, and local 
authorities was important.  As Concern is already struggling to 
recruit staff for Goz Beida site management and is concerned about 
the tenuous security situation in Dogdore, the organization is not 
likely to begin site management in Dogdore before 2008. 
 
---------------------------------------- 
Local Responses and Prospects for Return 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶14.  The DCHA field officer met with the Sous-Prefet for Dogdore, 
who was previously posted to KouKou and transferred to Dogdore four 
months ago.  Traditional leaders also participated in the meeting, 
including the Chef de Canton and one of the IDP sheikhs.  The group 
discussed the new airstrip, and the Sous-Prefet indicated tentative 
approval of the project. 
 
¶15.  The Dogdore Sous-Prefet expressed appreciation for the 
international humanitarian effort assisting Dogdore's IDPs and host 
population.  The Sous-Prefet stated that given the possibility of 
protracted displacement, additional efforts should be directed 
towards the needs of the host population, and listed potable water, 
schools, and health services as priorities.  The Sous-Prefet 
lamented the security situation along the border, mentioning the 
problems confronting the GOC, including Chadian armed opposition 
 
NDJAMENA 00000674  004.2 OF 005 
 
 
group negotiations in Libya and the threat of renewed Arab militia 
and other Sudanese armed opposition group incursions from across the 
border.  The Sous-Prefet was pessimistic that the area would become 
secure or that people would be able to return home by 2008, or even 
¶2009. 
 
¶16.  According to the head sheikh in one of the IDP villages, for 
the moment there is a calm in Dogdore, but insecurity is the 
overriding reason that people will not return to their villages in 
the near future.  On the subject of returns, the sheikh said that 
transport, water, schools, and clinics were the big incentives for 
people to return, once they had determined that it was safe enough. 
(Comment: The statement about incentives for return was repeated in 
other interviews, despite the fact that most IDPs had neither health 
nor education services in their villages of origin.  End Comment.) 
 
 
¶17.  The head sheikh differed from other discussions about a returns 
strategy, suggesting that perhaps it made more sense for returnees 
to consolidate their points of return to areas that could sustain 
broader population bases, and not have everyone return to geographic 
places of origin.  The sheikh acknowledged that despite the 
relatively good past relations between Chadian Arab ethnic groups 
and the sedentary populations, currently the Arab ethnic groups are 
well armed and perceived as aggressors.  There is also evidence that 
Arab ethnic groups are now occupying some of the villages vacated by 
displaced African groups.  The sheikh saw reconciliation roles being 
played by local, traditional authorities, such as the sultan and the 
chef de canton.  He said it was up to the GOC forces to ensure a 
safe and secure environment, conducive to returns.  He also stated 
that most IDPs had lost their animal herds, and that compensation 
would have to be part of the reconciliation agenda. 
 
----------- 
Conclusions 
----------- 
 
¶18.  SECURITY:  As is the case throughout Chad's east, security is 
the overriding concern of IDPs, refugees, host communities, and 
humanitarian agencies.  This is even more apparent in a border 
setting like Dogdore.  The proposed peacekeeping force is not likely 
to extend to areas close to the border, like Dogdore.  When the 
rainy season ends, it is expected that attacks and insecurity will 
increase.  Although eastern Chad is calm at present, any attacks 
before the dry season would make evacuation of humanitarian staff 
problematic because there are no quick exit alternatives to small 
plane travel. 
 
¶19.  BASIC NEEDS:  The basic needs of the IDP and host community 
populations are largely met, as of August 2007.  The area of 
potential weakness is in the hygiene and sanitation sectors.  ACF 
has begun to address hygiene issues, focusing on tap stand 
cleanliness.  A pilot latrine construction project is being 
considered at SC school sites.  Limited access to arable land and 
insecurity are likely to impact food security after the rainy 
season.  The profile exercise and nutrition and morbidity survey to 
be conducted by ACF will give a better idea of household food 
security.  However, ICRC, in collaboration with WFP, will need to 
anticipate the logistical requirements of food assistance beyond the 
rainy season.  NFIs and food should be prepositioned as close to 
Dogdore as possible, perhaps in Goz Beida, to respond in the event 
of a worsening security scenario and increased displacement to 
Dogdore and other IDP sites near the border. 
 
¶20.  RETURNS:  Due to security concerns, it is unlikely that IDPs 
will return in significant numbers to their villages of origin after 
the rainy season.  In fact, because many or most IDPs have never had 
 
NDJAMENA 00000674  005.2 OF 005 
 
 
education or health services in their scattered hamlets and 
villages, it is possible that the opposite phenomenon of "camp pull" 
may occur, increasing the IDP population.  If the status quo or a 
worsening scenario should occur after the rainy season, there will 
be increased pressure on the scarce natural resources of the host 
community. Therefore, a percentage of humanitarian investments 
should be targeted to address the growing needs of the host 
population, including health, sanitation, water, and food security. 
 
¶21.  As the largest IDP site in eastern Chad, and given its 
precarious location near the border with Sudan, Dogdore may be a 
bellwether for what occurs in other, smaller, IDP sites in the 
border area.  An improved airstrip will increase the reliability of 
scheduled flights to Dogdore, Goz Beida, and Abeche.  A relatively 
small humanitarian community has done a great job under stressful 
circumstances in meeting the basic needs of the population.  This is 
appreciated by local authorities, who are largely cooperative with 
humanitarian efforts, though have expressed a desire for closer 
consultations in the future. 
 
TAMLYN