In the region of Logone-Oriental, in the south-west of the country, the succession of attacks carried out in recent weeks have pushed thousands of people onto the tracks, despite the military operation launched at the border and despite the government’s promises . In the canton of Andoum, in the department of Monts de Lam, two attacks on Wednesday and Friday left a total of between 35 and 40 dead. Hundreds of homes were burned, along with goats, sheep and sacks of grain. Nearly 200 oxen were taken away. The populations of the villages reached the community hospital of Andoum, and the parish of Laramanaye, where they piled up in a precarious situation.
It was only 6 a.m. on Wednesday when Doctor Edouard saw a stream of displaced people arriving seeking protection inside the Andoum hospital. At dawn, armed men attacked their villages on horseback, camels or motorbikes. A scene that repeated itself on Friday.
“ It’s really thousands of people who invaded the hospital. Now, we are doing the census to be able to house them in schools, for care. We burned down their houses, it’s lamentable, they have nothing. There are no covers… So it’s very complicated. »
The hospital received a small emergency aid from the governorate, but needs more support from the state. Same thing, a few kilometers further south in the parish of Laramanaye, where Sister Fatima officiates. “ The people who come, we can’t send them away, so we started to welcome one or two people, three, four. In the evening it was a crowd. It continued on Thursday, Friday until today. We tried to find porridge but even to serve water is a problem. There is only one pump and it is intended for ten people and there it must serve more than 500 people… »
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Several personalities and political and civil society organizations are concerned that the state ” outmoded by events. On the RFI antenna on Sunday morning, the opponent Théophile Bongoro thus estimated that ” the state is overwhelmed by these events “. In a statement, the Chadian League for Human Rights denounced a “ unacceptable incapacity and criminal complicity. »
The government wants to reassure that actions “ adequate” are being implemented to bring peace to the region. Communication Minister Aziz Mahamat Saleh acknowledges that the situation is serious, but he assures that the authorities will continue their work to secure the region. He also accuses some opponents of wanting to take advantage of the situation.
The State is on the ground, it has a strong response through a massive deployment of defense and security forces. It must be recognized that a thousand kilometers is not easy to control. But the priority today is to secure the south to restore peace and security. And a whole system is in place.
Aziz Mahamat Saleh, Minister of Communication of Chad