ReliefWeb

10 January 2012: The 2011 agricultural season in Chad was negatively affected by drought and pests attacks. Food insecurity has been further exacerbated by the Libyan crisis in 2011 which caused the repatriation of more than 90,000 Chadians to the Sahel Region. The sudden influx of thousands of people resulted in the loss of income for families already vulnerable due to limited food and economic means. Considering weak 2011-2012 cereal production, the rise of market prices and the low level of cereal stocks, it is expected that food security will deteriorate rapidly in 2012.

In response, the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) has allocated $2.9 million to the World Food Programme (WFP) to ensure treatment of moderate acute malnutrition among children under 5 and adequate food consumption for Sudanese refugees. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has been allocated $2.2 million to provide therapeutic care to 45,000 children with severe acute malnutrition, ensure timely supply of therapeutic foods and essential medicines to feeding centers to treat children with severe acute malnutrition, and support the early identification and referral of children under the age of 5 with severe acute malnutrition, including those living in refugee camps. More than $800,000 has been provided to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to secure the herds of 3,100 vulnerable pastoralist and agro pastoralist households during the livestock lean season from March to May 2012 by providing 697.5 tons of animal feed.

Update on 11 January 2011