Increased hostilities on Chad/Sudan border

SANTA MONICA, CA–International Medical Corps is extremely concerned about the deterioration of the situation on the border of Chad and Sudan. Hundreds of thousands of refugees are in danger as a result of resurgent hostilities.

The situation requires urgent attention by the United Nations and the world community.

In the most recent incident in Chad, unidentified rebels attacked the town of Guereda on Friday with about 20-35 heavily armed vehicles. They kidnapped the Prefect, the CNAR (refugee security) police commander, and two body guards.

At least five people were injured and International Medical Corps nurses were treating them at the Guereda Hospital.

IMC, which has been providing aid to victims of this conflict since 2003, has temporarily relocated expat staff to Abeche in response to the security concerns. But national staff was able to return to the base and IMC continues its work in both countries, providing critical health services.

International Medical Corps is providing primary health care and nutrition services for 37,000 Darfurians (approximately 20% of the total refugee population) in three camps—Kounoungo, Mille and Am Nabak—as well as for thousands of Chadians in the surrounding host communities. Services include:

• Curative care for the sick and injured
• Immunizations and other preventive care for children and pregnant women
• Nutritional assistance to malnourished children and women of child-bearing age

In addition, IMC is building local health care capacity by:

• Rehabilitating the therapeutic feeding center in Guereda Hospital, the closest hospital to the camps
• Supporting a laboratory in Abeche Hospital, which will serve all of eastern Chad
• Training Chadian health professionals in primary health care and nutrition
• Recruiting refugees themselves to fill the majority of the camps' health support roles, such as community health workers and traditional birth attendants

International Medical Corps is a global humanitarian non-profit organization dedicated to saving lives and relieving suffering through health care training and relief and development programs. Established in 1984 by volunteer doctors and nurses, IMC is a private, voluntary, apolitical, non-sectarian organization. Its mission is to improve the quality of life through health interventions and related activities that build local capacity in areas worldwide. By offering training and health care to local populations and medical assistance to people at highest risk, and with the flexibility to respond rapidly to emergency situations, IMC rehabilitates devastated health care systems and helps bring them back to self-reliance.

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