The International Organization for Migration (IOM) on Tuesday appealed for US$2 million to deliver humanitarian assistance to the most vulnerable people and their host communities in Chad’s Lac Province.
Some of the humanitarian aid includes emergency and preparedness support and strengthening disaster risk reduction programming.
Lac Province is struggling to cope with a security and environmental crisis which has resulted in the displacement of more than 360,000 people, a significant proportion of the region’s population, according to the IOM.
The IOM warned that the recent flooding of displacement sites and host communities in the region risked exacerbating an “already complex humanitarian situation” as vital areas where assistance might be needed will not be accessible.
IOM Chad Chief of Mission Anne Schaefer said the flooding was likely to force villagers to leave their homes and seek refuge in neighbouring villages where resources and amenities were already very limited.
“As waters continue to rise, some areas where we intervene are at risk of becoming inaccessible, effectively cutting thousands of people from access to lifesaving assistance,” she said.
The IOM further cautioned that the flooding had increased the risks of water-borne diseases such as cholera and seasonal malaria which are endemic in the country.
According to a local official, more than 18,000 households, including displaced persons and host communities, are under threat due to the flooding.
Chad and regional security forces have been fighting security threats from armed non-state actors around the Lake Chad Basin since 2015.
The effects of the security situation have been intensified by an environmental crisis caused by the shrinking of Lake Chad.
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