United Nations Radio

The United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator for Chad warned on Thursday about what he called "the Somalization" of the situation in the eastern part of the country.

Displaced Chadians

Michele Falavigna told reporters in New York that there are hundreds of thousands of internally displaced people and refugees from the Central African Republic and Sudan in that region.

He noted that there has been a clear shift in the security situation in Chad since government forces prevailed over the armed opposition in a clash in May.

He said since that clash, the military strength of the opposition group has diminished substantially.

"The situation I have left behind is a large number of disbanded soldiers, a large number of weapons and a chaotic situation that has only encouraged criminals activities, organized gangs to try to make a living, if you want to read it their own way, by attacking humanitarian actors."

Mr. Falavigna said for the first time in the history of Chad there have been at least two kidnappings, one of a Doctors without Borders-France employee and the latest one of an International Committee of the Red Cross worker on Monday.

He stressed the need for member states to keep their promise to provide funding and increase the number of peacekeepers from the current 2, 500 to 5,000 troops in Eastern Chad.

Jocelyne Sambira, United Nations
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