UN aid agencies say they are to move non-essential staff in Chad to neighbouring Cameroon after the looting of UN warehouses in the town of Abeche over the weekend, BBC Online reports Wednesday.
They say the reduction in staff and the loss of supplies will inevitably have an impact on relief work. The UN Refugee Agency and the World Food Programme are caring for more than 200.000 Darfur refugees in 12 camps along Chads border with Sudan. They are also helping 90.000 Chadians displaced by the recent fighting.
The violence in the eastern town of Abeche has shocked UN aid agencies, especially the looting of their warehouses, which was carried out by the local population.
Despite the enormous needs of the refugees along Chads border with Sudan, they say the safety of aid workers must remain a top priority.
– Preparations are now under way to re-locate all non-essential staff during the course of the week. The relocation destination is Yaounde in Cameroon, Simon Pluess of the World Food Programme (WFP) said.
For the aid workers left behind, the task is huge, not least because they are now without many vital supplies.
– We estimate about 1,3 million US dollar of relief items has been nicked (stjålet) and destroyed. The spare parts for our entire vehicle fleet of some 200 vehicles were taken, Jennifer Pagonis of the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said.
IRIN reports that 80 percent of UNHCRs warehouse was looted after the rebels entered Abeche on Saturday and that tents, blankets, medicine, cooking utensils (køkkengrej) and other items were stolen.
The wheels and batteries of trucks used to transport supplies to the refugees were also taken. The UN World Food Programme said its warehouse was also ransacked.
Witnesses reported that local residents were responsible for the looting and were joined by members of the Chadian military once the rebels retreated.
– Some of the people have dropped what they looted in the streets and it is being recovered by the army and humanitarian agencies, a UNHCR-spokesperson said.
– The army has been searching from house to house to find the things which have been looted. What has been recovered is very damaged so we can not use it, added he.
