By Federica Gabellini,
Ndjamena CHAD
Following the last
outbreak of violence in the Central African Republic (CAR) in 2013, thousands
of Chadians living in CAR sought refuge in Chad, mainly in the country’s
southern provinces.
Unlike their Central African neighbours who
crossed the border to flee violence in their country and fit the traditional
profile of “refugees”, the Chadians have returned to their country of origin.
They are “returnees”: Chadian nationals who lived abroad for decades and
were then forced to return “home” due to conflict.
About 115,000 such people currently live in
Chad, some 70,000 of them in the South. For many of them, home is an unknown
and unfamiliar place. They face enormous challenges, including their lack of
documentation and subsequent inability to access basic services, a dependence
on humanitarian assistance, and having to share meagre resources with host
communities that are themselves poverty-stricken.
Their attachment to a foreign country and
relative unfamiliarity with their homeland result in insurmountable obstacles
to their reintegration.
The Djako returnee site comprises about 1,100
individuals, of which more than 900 are women and children. Almost all
shelters, provided by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and
the non-governmental organization (NGO) SECADEV between 2014 and 2017 with funding
from the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), are currently
in a state of disrepair.
Most of the families are exposed to inclement
weather, and vulnerable groups such as older people, pregnant women and
children are particularly affected.
Overcrowding is also a major problem at the
site. Most of the households, which range from 3 to 15 members, live in
shelters that measure 4 metres by 3.5 metres. Many of them have been forced to
build makeshift sheds out of tree branches and leaves.
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| A family of 15 at the Djako returnee site in southern Chad. |
To respond to the shelter emergency, the NGO
ACTED is leading a project that aims to rebuild the shelters at the site.
These are the words of Hamadou
Tidjani, the Interim President of the Kobiteye site. Due to underfunding,
humanitarian partners have been forced to reduce their food assistance
contribution. In 2016, each returnee received 5,500 Central African Francs
(CFA), or about US$9, each month. Today, that assistance has dropped to 3,000
CFA (about US$5) per month.
Malnutrition is among the
leading causes of child mortality in Chad, where one out of every eight
children dies before reaching age 5. This is the second-highest under-five
mortality rate in the world.
Since the closing of the
health centre in Kobiteye in 2016, all emergencies, including births, have been
referred to the Danamadja health centre or the hospital in Goré.
The health centre, however, is
run by only one person and lacks even the most basic medicines. Many people do
not have the financial means to pay for adequate care at the hospital in Goré,
and are forced to resort to traditional medicine.
Many returnees lack basic
identity or civil documents. Application processes for such records often take
years, which makes them unable to claim a range of rights and services.
Cash-for-work activities
(small-scale trade, gardening, sewing, etc.) led by ACTED aim to strengthen the
community’s resilience and provide people with medium-term income to support
their livelihoods.
He obtained a high school diploma in 2013, and
is one of ten children in his family.
"Our precarious situation prevents us
young people from aspiring to a brighter future and contributing to the
development of our country," Nana says. "If the State could set up a
scholarship programme for a few young graduates a year, it could gradually help
us integrate into society by giving us the chance to continue our studies
because our parents cannot afford school fees. At the Kobiteye site, 30 of us
have a high school diploma, but we don't have the possibility of continuing our
education. We stay at home with our families. Some girls have no choice but to
get married to be supported by their husbands. High school students feel
discouraged because they know in advance that their studies will stop at the
baccalaureate, with no perspective on the horizon."
For Hamadou Tidjani, the Interim President of
the Kobiteye site, the plight of the returnees has gone on far too long.
"When we arrived in Chad, helped by our
Government following the conflict in CAR, we thought that within a year or two
we would be fully reintegrated into society and making good use of our skills.
Unfortunately, six years have gone by and we are still in this precarious
situation, without work, and waiting cross-armed for the day of humanitarian
aid distribution." - UN
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