Highlights
Despite an overall decline in security incidents, the context remains fragile, with two attacks targeting the armed forces on 12 May and 1 June in the areas of KaigaNgouboua and Kaiga-Litri (no civilian casualties).
Rapid assessments and physical verification operations by the Shelter/NFI/CCCM cluster reveal the presence of around 18,613 additional estimated displaced people and 4,747 additional registered displaced people (compared to the figures in the SitRep from 29 April).
Multi-sectoral emergency assistance is required for displaced people and Chadian returnees in 8 newly identified sites in the Liwa area, according to the joint assessment mission (UNICEF, HCR, IOM,
Help-Tchad, OCHA, CNARR) conducted on 24-26 May.4.63% severe acute malnutrition (SAM) rate - well above the 2% emergency threshold - was reported by WFP among the 1,511 children screened at 16 sites.
Some 40,000 displaced people benefited from WFP food distributions at 15 sites from 13 to 24 May, coupled with nutritional assistance for 3,300 children.
Around 40 midwives have been deployed for two months by UNFPA in 16 priority health facilities as part of the "Campaign to Accelerate the Fight against Maternal Mortality, HIV Prevention, and the Repositioning of Family Planning in the Lac Region".
Background
With the security lull that has lasted for several months, humanitarian access has gradually improved in the Lac region, particularly in the northern basin where no incident has been reported for eight months. However, some areas remain unstable, as demonstrated by the explosion of two vehicles of the Multinational Joint Taskforce on 1 June on improvised explosive devices between Kaiga-Ngouboua and Kaiga-Litri (14 soldiers killed and 16 wounded). A similar attack took place on 12 May in Kaiga-Ngouboua, killing one soldier and wounding five others.
The humanitarian community continues its efforts to expand the assistance coverage area. A joint needs assessment mission was conducted from 24 to 26 May in 8 recently identified sites hosting displaced people in Liwa sub-prefecture. The mission was made up of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the NGO Help-Tchad, the Commission Nationale pour l’Accueil et la Réinsertion des Réfugiés (CNARR) and OCHA. Seven of the sites host internally displaced Chadians who arrived between July and December 2015 (Loudjia, Nguilbia, Salia, Yare, Yarame, Abourom, Bia), while the Zigueye site reportedly hosts 2,000 Chadian returnees from Niger, who mostly arrived at the end of April. Most sites have never received assistance (except food support in Zigueye and Yarame) and urgent needs are reported in five priority sites including food, drinking water and medical care. In-depth sectoral assessments are necessary to initiate an appropriate response. In addition, the registration process will confirm the number of displaced people.
The humanitarian response capacity increases with the arrival of new NGOs and a USD 10-million funding granted by the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF). These new actors include the NGO International Rescue Committee (IRC), which is planning health activities in the Liwa area and the NGO COHEB, which works in the education sector at Tagal site in Baga-Sola subprefecture.
CERF funds will firstly address humanitarian needs in the northern basin of the Lac region (Liwa-Daboua axis) and Kangalom and Tchoukoutalia through life-saving assistance; and will secondly focus on food insecurity and malnutrition in the Sahel (Lac regions, Kanem, Bar-el-Gazal, Guera and Wadi Fira). Intervention sectors include nutrition, food security, health, water sanitation and hygiene (WASH), protection, and shelter/non-food items/CCCM. The recipient agencies are UNICEF, the United Nations Fund for Population (UNFPA), the World Health Organization (WHO), IOM, HCR and the World Food Programme (WFP).