Central African Republic & Chad
Central African conflict hits back on Chad

afrol News, 5 March - The conflict in the Central African Republic, of which the Chadian government is accused of sponsoring, is hitting back on food security in Chad. In several Chadian border villages, food is becoming scarce and inter-community conflicts are emerging.

According to the latest mission into the southern border areas of Chad, almost 8,000 persons have fled the Central African Republic in the face of the armed conflict between government forces and rebels in that country. The rebels, led by Central African ex-Army Chief François Bozize, originally entered the country from Chad, and are said to be supported by the Chadian government.

While Bozize's rebels occupy the north-western part of the Central African Republic, along the Chadian border, Chadian citizens are fleeing back into Chad. Most of these refugees returning to Chad are women, children and the elderly. They have so far settled along the border.

- Some of these families have been away from Chad for a long time and are having a hard time adjusting to their new living conditions, humanitarian agencies report from the border districts. Several organisations and UN agencies are assisting them with emergency aid, but health and sanitation conditions in these settlements are reported to be poor. 

While pressure on the border districts' resources is increasing, two inter-community conflicts broke out during the month of January. The first involved border villages in Salamat and Dar Sila Departments. The second was between two villages in Dababa Department, further inland, where fighting between two Chadian communities in this department left some 76 persons dead and another 180 wounded. The combatants used both guns and knives.

These disputes have resulted in burning huts, farm implements and food products, creating food insecurity problems for the communities involved. The government has dispatched emissaries and armed troops to keep the peace and ensure the safety of the local population. 

While in general, the national food security situation is reported to be "quite good", there are reports of areas where the "food situation is deteriorating." These are mainly in the zone indirectly affected by the conflict in the Central African Republic. These are also among the potentially most fertile areas of Chad.

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