Chad

A child is weighed during a health screening in Mao, Chad.

USAID/Emily Gish

Internal and regional conflict, frequent natural disasters, and limited natural resources have contributed to an ongoing complex emergency in Chad since 2004.  Internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Chad, in addition to refugees displaced from neighboring Sudan and the Central African Republic (CAR) continue to reside in eastern regions, according to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).  While the security situation has significantly improved since 2010 and many IDPs have returned to home areas, general insecurity and localized banditry remained a threat and a disincentive to return. 

In addition, an estimated 3.6 million people were at risk of food insecurity in 2012 across Chad due to consecutive years of insufficient rainfall, failed harvests, and a lack of alternative livelihood options, according to OCHA. 

On October 17, 2011, U.S. Ambassador Mark M. Boulware redeclared a disaster due to the ongoing complex emergency in Chad. 

USG HUMANITARIAN FUNDING PROVIDED IN FY 2012

*This figure includes funding for both disaster response and disaster risk reduction activities. (As of September 14, 2012)

Sahel Food Insecurity and Complex Emergency Fact Sheet #16 (417kb PDF) and map (208kb PDF)

Key Developments

While the food security situation in Chad’s Sahelian belt is expected to remain stable as of late August, vulnerable families will likely continue to experience food insecurity in September, with many food-insecure households remaining dependent on food assistance and wild vegetables.

In nine of 11 regions in Chad’s Sahel band, the prevalence of global acute malnutrition in children under five years of age has surpassed 15 percent and exceeded the U.N. World Health Organization emergency threshold, according to a Standardized Monitoring and Assessment of Relief and Transitions (SMART) survey conducted by the U.N. Children’s Fund (UNICEF) from May to June.

In FY 2012, USAID’s Office of Food for Peace (USAID/FFP) has supported emergency food assistance, including food voucher programs, to benefit food-insecure Chadians.  In addition, USAID’s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA) has supported interventions to help improve malnutrition levels through better detection and treatment, as well as encouraging longer-term food security by training farmers in improved agricultural production and storage techniques, providing increased access to seeds and tools, and supporting the establishment of community or household gardens, which extend the growing season and diversify diets.