Africa Top Success Ils font l'Afrique
Since 2003, Chad has been welcoming on its territory more than 450.000 refugees among whom more than 359.000 native of Sudan and more than 91.000 of Central Republic of Africa, settled down in camps in the East and in the South of the country. To this is added a few thousands of refugees from various nationalities living in the big cities of the country, in particular N’Djaména, the capital town.
With this mark of « sympathy« , Mamadou Dian Baldé, assistant representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for the refugees (UNHCR), declared on Friday, 20th June that « Chad is the second biggest refugees’ host country on the African continent« .
« It is also one of the countries that has never stopped showing its solidarity towards brothers and sisters Africans who are victim of discriminations and persecution« , added Mr Dian Baldé who expressed himself in the framework of the celebration of the World Refugee Day.
We count 3, 6 million refugees on the African continent. Figures that are ceaselessly increasing with regard to armed conflicts that come into being or still continue in several countries.
The World Refugee Day 2014 is placed under the theme: « A family torn by the war is already too much! »
This theme that is connected with the themes of the last three years, aims, according to the assistant representative of the UNHCR in Chad, at making sensitive the general public on the fact that every minute, eight people abandon everything behind them in order to run away from war, persecution or terror, and when a conflict breaks out, numerous refugees could only have the choice between horror and even worse.
In Chad, the representation of the UNHCR changed the theme of the day to adapt it to the realities: « Refugees: development actors« .
« Refugees are not passive actors only, they are also development actors. They are people who come with capacities; it is the duty of us all, UNHCR, partners and especially government, to better use them for development », explained Mr Dian Baldé.
He moreover exhorted Chad surrounded by countries that are relatively unstable and the Chadian populations to continue this generosity.
Since 2004, more than ten million dollars were saved, through projects with fast impacts, to the local communities of the east of the Chad that welcomed the Sudanese refugees.
Original text by: Blaise AKAME
