Chad hosted approximately 15,000 refugees from Sudan at the end of 2001.

Approximately 35,000 Chadians were refugees at year's end, including some 30,000 in Cameroon, about 3,000 in Nigeria, and some 2,000 in Central African Republic. About 6,000 Chadian refugees repatriated during 2001.

Refugees from Sudan

More than 20,000 refugees fleeing violence in western Sudan entered Chad in the late 1990s. Gradual repatriation reduced the size of the refugee population to about 15,000 by the end of 2001. Some 4,000 Sudanese repatriated from Chad during the year despite warnings from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) about continued dangers in western Sudan.

Refugees who remained in Chad lived at about 30 sites in the remote eastern part of the country, often among the local population. UNHCR stopped food distributions to the refugee population in 2001, judging the refugees to be economically self-sufficient. UNHCR provided farming tools and seeds, dug wells, built two medical clinics, donated medicines, and constructed four classrooms for use by refugees and local residents alike.

About 200 Sudanese refugees and asylum seekers lived in the Chadian capital, Ndjamena, where UNHCR provided a one-time subsistence allowance equivalent to $40 for heads of families, $20 for spouses, and about $5 for children. Some urban refugees complained of harassment by Sudanese embassy officials based in Ndjamena.

Budged constraints caused UNHCR to close its office in Chad at the end of 2001. Responsibility for the protection of refugees in Chad was scheduled to shift to UNHCR staff based in neighboring Central African Republic in 2002.

Repatriation to Chad

Decades of civil wars and armed insurrections have pushed tens of thousands of Chadians out of the country. Most of Chad has experienced several recent years of peace, however, enabling significant numbers of refugees to repatriate.

At least 10,000 refugees returned home during the mid-1990s, while about 2,500 repatriated in 2000. Nearly 6,000 repatriated during 2001, primarily from Cameroon and Central African Republic.

Returnees received five months of food assistance, farming tools and seeds, household items, and medical care. UNHCR also provided construction materials for homes, new water wells, help in purchasing cattle, and assistance in obtaining identity cards.

Although thousands of Chadian refugees still lived in neighboring countries, UNHCR's voluntary repatriation program ended in August after no more refugees requested help to return home.

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