R 170813Z JUN 09
FM AMEMBASSY NDJAMENA
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 7003
INFO AFRICAN UNION COLLECTIVE
ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE
DARFUR COLLECTIVE
NSC WASHDC
HQ USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE

UNCLAS NDJAMENA 000235 
 
 
 
STATE FOR AF/C, S/USSES AND PRM/AFR 
NSC FOR GAVIN 
LONDON FOR POL -- LORD 
PARIS FOR POL -- KANEDA 
ADDIS ABABA ALSO FOR AU 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREF PREL PHUM SU CD
SUBJECT: CHAD WEEKLY HUMANITARIAN UPDATE 
 
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INTERAGENCY STEERING COMMITTEE MEETING 
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¶1. RefCoord participated in the latest IASC meeting June 9 led by 
the Humanitarian Coordinator and attended by UNDSS, as well as 
representatives of humanitarian organizations.  DSS reported that 
crime levels are increasing in eastern Chad as is usual at the 
beginning of rainy season, with a particular increase of incidents 
in Farchana, Goz Beida, and Abeche.  In Abeche, DSS is seeing gang 
proliferation and a trend of incidents targeting humanitarian 
national staff from southern Chad.  Hostility from the local 
population directed against organizations hiring better-educated 
southerners is a long-standing issue in the East, but targeted 
criminal acts are a new manifestation. 
 
¶2. DSS reported that recent violence in northeastern CAR led several 
hundred individuals to flee toward the MINURCAT base in Birao 
seeking safe-haven.  The fighting last week in Birao was a 
manifestation of ongoing conflict between Kara and Goula aimed at 
the Central African Republic Military (FACA) and the UFDR.  This 
persistent insecurity poses a particular problem for humanitarian 
organizations assisting Central African refugees in southeastern 
Chad.  As reported in last week's WAR, WFP was experiencing 
difficulty in delivering food assistance through Chad and had 
resorted to using CAR stocks transported from Bangui through Ndele 
and across the border to Daha.  As a result of recent fighting, that 
route has been blocked.  DSS reported to meeting participants that 
conditions in CAR are deteriorating rapidly, and these routes are 
likely to remain closed to humanitarian activity for the near 
future.  Complicating the delivery of assistance on the CAR side of 
the border, three NGOs operating there were evacuated following the 
fighting.  In addition, a local ICRC staff member was recently 
killed in Birao by armed men.  UNHCR, UNICEF and relevant NGOs 
present in Daha will remain vigilant for further inflows but doubt 
that the violence in Birao will drive refugees to Daha since they 
would have to cross approximately 60 km of insecure territory to 
reach the new refugee sites in Chad.  They are more likely to remain 
IDPs in the relatively secure vicinity of the MINURCAT base in 
Birao. 
 
¶3. OCHA-Geneva representative Andreas Schuetz reported to IASC 
participants on his completed preparatory mission to Chad in advance 
of a Phase II Cluster Evaluation mission scheduled for October, 
¶2009.  Phase II Cluster Evaluations, which will take place in six 
countries including Chad, aim to evaluate the cluster approach to 
aide provision in terms of improving humanitarian response. 
Schuetz, who is part of the OCHA Evaluation Studies Section, 
described his role as: briefing the UN Country Team and relevant 
partners on the upcoming evaluation mission, establishing the 
necessary working relationships to facilitate effective management 
and implementation of the evaluation, identifying appropriate 
indicators for performance measurement, and analyzing possible site 
locations.  In a separate meeting June 8, RefCoord gave Schuetz Chad 
specific input on the evaluation model developed by OCHA. 
 
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FIELD ACTIVITIES AND DONOR COORDINATION 
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¶4. Embassy's Defense Attache attended a June 12 hand-over ceremony 
involving approximately 78 child soldiers captures after the May 
Chadian rebel offensive in the East; the group was transferred to 
UNICEF by the Chadian MoD in the presence of diplomatic 
representatives and local Red Cross officials.  RefCoord met with 
UNICEF Representative Marzio Babile June 5 at his request to discuss 
efforts to demobilize the rebel child soldiers.  RefCoord took the 
opportunity to raise questions regarding implementation of 
PRM-funded health and education programs in southern and eastern 
Chad.  Babile acknowledged that UNICEF had not been adequately 
staffed in these sectors for many months.  He told RefCoord he was 
in the process of hiring for several key positions including a 
health coordinator in Ndjamena.  UNICEF plans to increase its staff 
to include teams of five in both the South and the East.  This 
should improve the organization's ability to provide drugs and 
services to NGO and MOH partners as well as provide 
capacity-building programs and advocacy in the education sector. 
RefCoord and Babile agreed to discuss these plans with relevant 
field managers in more detail once UNICEF has completed its current 
proposal for PRM funding. 
 
¶5. RefCoord and ECHO Representative Duccio Staderini met June 10 to 
exchange information about mutually-funded partners and discuss 
donor coordination for health care provision in Iriba.  ECHO has 
completed its funding strategy for the year, while PRM/AFR is 
processing proposals received in the last round.  Mutual NGO 
partners include; IRC, which is providing assistance in Bahai and 
Hadjr Hadid; IMC, which is working in Guereda and Iriba; and CORD, 
which is present in the four Farchana camps.  Based on this and 
prior discussions, it is clear that ECHO and PRM are pursuing 
complementary funding strategies with common partners.  RefCoord and 
Staderini also agreed that current fuel shortages in eastern Chad 
warrant a future meeting with UNHAS to better understand the 
possibilities for independent fuel sourcing.  (Fuel shortages due to 
supply chain problems caused UNHAS to briefly decrease the number of 
flights to the field in April and continue to affect the UN 
peacekeepers' ability to provide escorts to humanitarian convoys in 
the East.)  In Iriba, both IMC and CAM have representatives on the 
ground preparing for the takeover of the hospital and clinics from 
MSF-Luxembourg.  Final funding arrangements have ECHO financing IMC 
to manage the hospital and two village health centers, while PRM 
supports CAM to run two camp clinics.  UNHCR and UNICEF will fill in 
funding gaps for both operations. 
 
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NGO NEWS 
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¶6. RefCoord met with RET Global Program Manager Guillaume Villard 
and Regional Program Manager Benoit Dansembourg June 5 regarding 
changes to RET's program included in the latest proposal for PRM 
funding.  Dansembourg reported significant progress in negotiating 
an MOU with the Sudanese Ministry of Education which would provide 
accreditation for RET's secondary education programs in Chadian 
refugee camps.  UNHCR and UNICEF have yet to reach an understanding 
on accreditation with the GOS, but provided input to RET's MOU. 
Based on this progress, RET is proposing to expand its current 
secondary education programs to build and run classes in Oure 
Cassoni, Touloum, Bredjing, Treguine, Djabal and Goz Amer camps. 
This represents a significant increase in the program for which the 
organization is requesting a correspondingly significant increase in 
its budget over last year's figures.  The new proposal also includes 
a strategic framework for future programs based on the use of a 
Sudanese curriculum, which the sector has thus far lacked.  RET 
conducted comprehensive interviews with refugees in each of the 
camps; the overwhelming majority indicated their preference for a 
Sudanese curriculum.  RefCoord emphasized the need to coordinate 
closely with other organizations including JRS, CORD, and CARE, 
which are managing education programs in the same camps to avoid 
duplication of effort and to ensure that all are using the same 
curriculum. 
 
 
BREMNER