Chad is one of the poorest and most corrupt countries in the world, and it has suffered from civil war and military coups since it's independence from France in 1960. It's geography, as a mostly desert, landlocked country has given it the nickname 'the Dead Heart of Africa'.
It has been unsettled by the war in the bordering region of Darfur, in Sudan, which has led to more tension and violence in recent years. Ammunition and soldiers regularly flow across the desert border, and an ethnic cleansing, like that in Darfur, is not far off happening in eastern Chad. This is mainly caused by the government of Sudan, who, with the help of China, have armed militia groups (janjaweed) in Sudan who began a campaign of systematic rape, starvation and murder of the Darfurian people in 2003. Over 200,000 Darfurians have died as a result, and more than 2 million have fled their homes.
Across the border in Chad, rebel forces tried and failed to take the capital, N'Djamena in 2006 and '08. The violence has caused the international community to act, and this year a European Union Force (EUFOR), including Irish troops, was deployed with the aim of protecting more than 400,000 people in the refugee camps and IDP (internally displace people) sites in Chad. This mission is not helped by the fact that French troops make up most of the EUFOR force, and French soldiers also helped Chadian President Deby overthrow the rebels in the '08 rebellion. Therefore the Chadian rebels see EUFOR troops as being pro-government, and not neutral, as is their mandate.
One of the many reasons for confict in Chad is problem-resolution between the mainly Arab herders, and the mainly non-Arab settled farmers. Traditional mediation methods have been replaced by extreme violence and conflict, with Kalashnikovs flooding across the border from the war in Darfur.
There are many aid-agencies working in Chad. Among them of Irish connection are Concern Worldwide and Medecins Sans Frontieres/ Doctors Without Borders (MSF). Concern are managing 4 IDP sites near Goz Beida, organizing the logistics of what other NGOs do and where, and organizing visitors to the sites. MSF set up medical centres in the refugee camps and IDP sites to monitor the population and provide primary health care, and refer patients to the hospital in Goz Beida.
A slideshow of Hu's images from the MSF medical centre in Gassire IDP site can be seen at this link-
www.msf.ie/chad.
