BACKGROUND ON THE EASTERN CHAD - SUDAN SITUATION
" The United Nations Security Council has approved a 26,000-strong peacekeeping force to replace the 7,000 African Union (AU) observer mission struggling to protect civilians in Sudan's western province of Darfur.
But the exact make-up and deployment date for this beefed up force is still to be determined.
In the meantime, more than 2m people are living in camps after fleeing more than four years of fighting in the region and they are vulnerable without peacekeepers.
Sudan's government and the pro-government Arab militias are accused of war crimes against the region's black African population, although the UN has stopped short of calling it genocide.
Peace talks involving the government and most of the myriad rebel groups have recently resumed, but until the new UN-AU force deploys in Darfur the prospects for an end to violence look remote."
11/15/07 BBC.com
BACKGROUND ON THE CHAD SITUATION
Chad has been at war internally since 2005 in what has been described as it's 'Second Civil War'. In recent months violence has flared up and the countries capital has been attacked.
"The outcome of the crisis in Chad remains uncertain, but the peril for civilians in Chad and Darfur is enormous. A low-intensity, festering civil conflict between the Chadian government and a disparate group of rebels exploded into violent confrontation in the capital N'Djamena. Thousands of refugees fled the city, and the threat of renewed violence continues. The Sudanese government, which is responsible for genocide in Darfur, supports the rebels trying to overthrow Chad's government because it wants to block the deployment of European Union peacekeepers to Eastern Chad. Sudan's ruling party not only threatens its own citizens, which it has destroyed in great numbers, it is a menace to the entire region. It will remain a menace until the rest of the world makes the cost of doing so too steep."
Joint Statement on the Crisis in Chad
February 11, 2008
The above is an excerpt from a joint statement on the crisis in Chad from the ENOUGH Project, the Save Darfur Coalition, and the Genocide Intervention Network
CURRENT SITUATION
The current operation has been called for to assist the situation in the refugee camps in Eastern Chad along the Chad - Sudan border. The situation on the ground is constantly changing, one thing to count on: a massive displaced population in danger at all times from attack, hunger and the harsh local environment. Adding further stress to the region are significant crop failures and an ongoing drought situation. As of March 2008 it is estimated that nearly 2.4 million refugees have fled Darfur (1/3 of the population). At this time approximately 14,800 aid workers are on the ground with the express aim of coordinating and supplying aid in many forms: security, food, medicine, shelter, etc.
UNHCR's 2010-2011 Global Appeal
NEWS UPDATES
Sudan Watch 2010
OCHA 2010 Chad Update
ABOUT HUMANITARIAN CRISES
Humanitarian crises include recent wars and conflict-laced disasters that involve civilian populations as indirect or deliberate targets, violate established norms of war, and impede global progress. Humanitarian crises also include large-scale natural disasters that lay bare issues of environmental degradation and disregard for vulnerable populations, and are often accompanied by disease and famine. Appropriate academic response to these crises requires developing methods to understand and describe these conflicts, designing means to evaluate and assess the impact of humanitarian interventions, and preparing the next generation of engaged and effective humanitarian actors.
Harvard Humanitarian Initiative
OCHA REPORTED STATISTICS - MARCH 08
-2.4 million displaced since 2004
-80,000 displaced in the period January-March 08
-14,800 relief workers on the ground
-US $850 million required for ongoing operations in Darfur in 2008
-84 humanitarian personnel kidnapped (Jan-March 08)
-75 humanitarian vehicles hijacked (Jan-March 08)
OTHER BACKGROUND SOURCES: Sudan
US Dept. of State - SudanSudan - Darfur Humanitarian Profile - March 08 (Reliefweb)
Human Rights Watch - SudanOTHER BACKGROUND SOURCES: Chad
OTHER BACKGROUND SOURCES: Chad/Sudan