africa

Kou Kou, Chad - November 9, 2006

A Chadian Villager with a bow and arrow which he uses to defend his family from attacks. The family found refuge under trees in the forest after they fled an attack on their village. Eastern Chad has seen extreme violence, in the form of attacks by paramilitary known as Janjaweed, while the area has been threatened by rebel groups fighting Chadian and Sudanese armies on Chadian territory. The UN refugee agency (UNHCR), issued reports of more than 200 people being killed by armed men on horseback in villages in the Dar Sila Department along the Chad-Sudan border just in the last two weeks. Thousands of Chadian villagers have fled their villages and become IDP (Internally Displaced People) and arriving in the area of Goz Beida often leaving the injured behind due to lack of transport. According to official sources IDP numbers in Chad are around 100,000 and most are not receiving any external assistance as they are not entitled to the refugee status set out by the United Nations.