ReliefWeb

Highlights

• The security situation has remained calm in November, without any reported incident.

• Humanitarian access is limited in some areas due to Lake Chad’s rising waters.

• Secondary displacements continue: nearly 122,000 people are displaced in the Lac region, in addition to 8,200 refugees.

• Several fires of unintentional origin affected 560 people in the Lac region.

• Civil servants' strikes related to the non-payment of salaries continue to affect access to health and education.

• A malnutrition screening organized by UNICEF and the Regional Health Delegation among 27,000 children under five identified 17 per cent of children suffering from acute malnutrition, including 5 per cent of severe acute malnutrition.

Background

The security situation has remained calm in November, without any reported incident.
As regards people having allegedly surrendered, more than 300 men, potentially including children, are still being held at Baga Sola high school without any clarification of their status. 714 women and children were transferred on 24 November by national authorities to the chiefs of their cantons of origin.
Humanitarian access is limited in some areas due to the Lake Chad’s rising waters. This phenomenon is recurrent: every year in November, the lake’s waters rise and flood its arms.
Humanitarian partners have to find alternative routes to provide assistance in the areas of Ngouboua,
Kaiga Ngouboua, Tchoukoutalia and Fourkouloum.
Civil servants’ strikes due to the non-payment of salaries continue to affect access to health and education. In the Lac region, the staff from Baga-Sola hospital began a complete shutdown on 1 December, no longer providing the minimum service. Of the 450 schools in the region, around 20 are currently functional, mostly private and denominational schools.
Several presumed unintentional fires affected 560 people in the Lac region in November. On 14 November, according to the NGO Help-Tchad, about 400 people were affected by fires in Kaiga Kinjiria, which allegedly destroyed 86 huts, as well as goods and food. In addition, 161 people were affected by fires that destroyed 55 huts as well as goods and food on 27 and 29 November and 1 December in Tchoukoutalia area, according to the NGO ACHUDE. Two fires also affected Baga Sola and Selia markets on 11 and 16 November. In the absence of contingency stocks, humanitarian actors’ capacities on the ground are insufficient to meet the needs in shelters, non-food items (NFI) and food.
Floods and pachyderms have reportedly destroyed several thousand hectares of fields.
According to the authorities, 5,469 hectares of fields were flooded around Baga Sola, Doum Doum and Bol early November. In addition, 222 hectares have reportedly been destroyed by elephants. An assessment of the extent of damage and the impact on food security of affected households is being prepared.

Site assessments are ongoing. From 29 November to 1 December, the NGO Help-Tchad conducted a rapid assessment of seven sites in Ngouboua area (Kaya, N'Gacha, Boud 1 and 2, Kangalia, Kola 1 and 2), where the NGO estimates that 37,200 displaced persons have fled the islands of the lake as a result of violence by armed groups or at the request of the authorities because of military operations.
In addition, five non-assessed sites (Lolia 1, 2, 3 and 4, Boloua, Wadrarom, Tchoukou Keina, Kodja village) are also reported in the area, gathering 8,400 people, according to estimates provided by community leaders. Needs in the sectors of food, water, health and nutrition, and non-food items are reported. However, it is necessary to organize a registration mission to confirm these figures. Indeed, the last figures of the Shelter/NFI/CCCM cluster indicate the presence of 7,388 displaced persons in Ngouboua sub-prefecture, where host populations reportedly amount to 29,058.

In addition, the NGO Action contre la Faim (ACF) carried out a multisector rapid assessment in Kekedine site (Liwa-Kiskawa axis) on 4 November, where an estimated 454 people live, including 82 per cent displaced persons and 18 per cent Chadian returnees. Their displacement is reportedly linked to insecurity in their areas of origin, and dates back to eight months ago. Priority needs are water, nonfood items, health and food. Finally, IOM carried out a rapid assessment in six displacement locations (Toukoul, Aliga-Koulboua, Tchoukoubarka, Taflinga, Moundi, and Kanirom) in Daboua sub-prefecture from 25 to 27 October, where 4,250 people are estimated to be displaced. In five of these locations, the NGO OXFAM provides cash-based assistance, but other needs in health and in water and sanitation have been reported.