Chad Crisis Response Plan 2024 – Chad

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Chad is a landlocked country in Central Africa that, in addition to being affected by several intertwined crises, shares borders with crisis-affected countries such as Libya, Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon, Sudan and the Central African Republic. In mid-April 2023, the Sudan crisis triggered a steady flow of returnee and refugee arrivals to eastern Chad. The Chadian government estimates that the number of new arrivals will reach 600,000 by the end of 2023, including 100,000 Chadian returnees. The current crisis has exacerbated the existing pressure on the Chadian economy and increased the level of poverty and vulnerability from 34.9 percent in 2021 to 35.4 percent in 2023 according to the World Bank (World Bank, as of October 20, 2023). It also contributed to increasing protection risks such as gender-based violence (GBV).

The cessation of transhumance in Darfur for Sudanese herders is also adding additional pressure to Chadian transhumance. The increase in these farmers and herders crossing into Chad, together with the shrinking of the Chadian corridor and pre-existing inter-communal conflicts in Chad, risk being exacerbated by increased competition for resources and land. Chadian officials have expressed concern that this will lead to increased conflict along the border region between farmers, herders, locals and Sudanese.

Furthermore, since 2015, the Lake Chad basin has been the scene of ongoing insecurity and violence exacerbating displacement caused by flooding. As a result, 259,768 displaced people are currently housed in 250 displacement sites, including 215,928 IDPs, 20,947 returnees (former IDPs), and 22,893 returnees from Nigeria and Niger, according to the IOM Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM, June 2023). The country is not only facing the largest and most protracted displacement crisis in the Lake Chad region, but is also affected by severe desertification in the area causing people to constantly move in search of food, water and shelter. . The political crisis in Niger that erupted in July 2023 has directly influenced the situation in Lakes Province, driving Chadian returnees to the region, which will increase the level of fragility in the area. Inflation in the country is also expected to be high by 2024, at 10.1 percent according to the World Bank (2023), especially if the borders between Chad, Niger and Sudan remain closed.

In the northern provinces, insecurity, political tensions and the difficult governance situation in southern Libya are affecting border control, causing a proliferation of crime in northern Chad. Continuously high levels of population movements, which are mixed flows of regular and irregular migration, can be linked to forms of exploitation, including targeted human trafficking, at IOM flow monitoring points in northern Chad. vulnerable groups. Additionally, approximately 40,000 migrants work in different gold mines in the border triangle between Chad, Libya and Niger, which are often a pull factor for people moving in search of alternative livelihoods. This increases the risks of human trafficking, in the form of forced labor and sexual exploitation.

Chad is also periodically affected by torrential rains and flooding. In 2023, floods during the rainy season affected 19 of 23 provinces, affecting 1.3 million people, damaging more than 350,000 hectares of agricultural land, killing 20,000 livestock and destroying 80,000 homes, as well as a large number of schools and health centers. , and public infrastructure, according to OCHA (OCHA 2023). The response and assistance to flood-affected populations was managed through significant coordination and preparedness efforts, but remains marked by limited national response capacity.

Chad is facing multiple emergencies and crises, which have plunged its global hunger index to an alarming level: 117 out of 121 countries. According to the INFORM 2023 risk index, Chad is ranked as the fifth highest risk country (out of 190 countries) with poor socioeconomic indicators, gender inequality, limited access to basic social services, and food and nutrition crises.

Finally, Chad is one of 15 countries selected as a pilot under the SG Action Agenda on Internal Displacement. Throughout 2024, this will involve the implementation of structural reforms articulated by the Office of the Special Adviser, including strong government leadership, a new generation of solutions strategies, action roadmaps and financing frameworks. IOM will use its diverse resources in the country to support the establishment of these structures, while moving towards a development-oriented solutions approach in close collaboration with other United Nations agencies, financial institutions, the Resident Coordinator function and the Government of Chad.