4,000 new Central African refugees flood in Chad in February

Many Central Africans continue to arrive every day in Chad, where at least 4,000 have already taken refuge since the beginning of the month, fleeing the persistent attacks by armed gangs that killed 50 people in February, the agency said United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

"Every day, refugees arrive at the Chadian border," said a UNHCR official in N'djamena, the capital. The agency hastened to transfer the 200 or so Central Africans who cross the border daily to its camps in southern Chad, the agency said in a statement published on 21 February.

According to some Central African refugees, CAR army soldiers are targeting civilians suspected of being linked to rebel groups, and at least 50 civilians have been killed since in early February, UNHCR said.

The new refugees tell of daily attacks on the population by armed groups, rebels and army soldiers in northern CAR - a long-forcible zone of violence and where regional authorities have launched a few months ago, joint military operations to try to re-establish security there.

"Many refugees say they have fled attacks by Central African troops against civilians that government forces suspect of supporting rebel groups," UNHCR said. The refugees also spoke of attacks on the villages in which the rebel groups plundered the villagers' livestock and food and forcibly recruited young people.

In some parts of northern CAR, UN humanitarian agencies and non-governmental organizations are absent due to insecurity in the country, whose history has been fraught with conflict and coups.

Even if UNHCR is unable to verify the refugees' stories, the agency "takes them very seriously because they corroborate those already told by other refugees," said UNHCR.

With the latest wave of refugees, nearly 15,000 Central African nationals have sought refuge in Chad since June 2005 and join the 30,000 others who have been living in camps run by UNHCR since 2003.

UNHCR plans to open a fourth camp in the region, the three existing camps - one of which opened in December - already operating at the limit of their capabilities.

But the resources available are also limited. And UNHCR spokeswoman Ginette LeBreton said the continued influx of refugees is a significant financial burden. "We are worried, because it weighs heavily on our budget."

The UNHCR was already complaining about the poor capacity of the agency to continue its operations in Chad, where several UN agencies also support more than 200,000 Sudanese refugees living in camps in eastern Chad. country.