Catholic Information Service for Africa (Nairobi)
8 April 2008
N'Djamena — Thousands of residents here have been rendered homeless following a 30-day eviction by the government in February and March, a human rights organization said.
Chadian authorities forcibly evicted several thousand residents from their homes in N'Djamena, the capital, during a state of emergency declared by the government on February 15 following a failed coup attempt.
"People who lived in the capital for decades have been left homeless and destitute, with little legal recourse," said Georgette Gagnon, Africa director at Human Rights Watch. "In many cases, the Chadian government failed to provide adequate notification, compensation and resettlement assistance to affected communities, as required by international law."
According to documents from the office of the mayor of N'Djamena obtained by HRW, municipal authorities destroyed 1,798 homes in 11 neighborhoods during the 30-day state of emergency that ended on March 15.
The organization said it saw hundreds of demolished structures in two neighborhoods in the capital that were not included in the official figures, making it likely that the total number of homes destroyed exceeds 2,000. More than 10,000 people have been left homeless by the mass evictions, according to HRW estimates.
An unknown number of evictees are among the 30,000 registered refugees living at the Maltam refugee camp in northern Cameroon, which was established by the United Nations to accommodate civilians who fled the fighting in the capital on February 2-3.
HRW also observed approximately 50 displaced persons camping near the ruins of their homes in the capital. The Chadian government has not established resettlement camps for those it has made homeless, nor has it provided for the needs of vulnerable groups such as children and the elderly, as is required by international law.
Chadian government officials justified the mass evictions on grounds that the neighborhoods slated for demolition were illegally situated on state-owned land. A government-controlled newspaper also reported that the land was needed to make way for infrastructure projects, including a massive horse-racing track. Article 41 of Chad's Constitution prohibits the seizure of private property except in cases of urgent public need.
"The government's demolition of these homes could only be justified in the most exceptional circumstances," said Gagnon. "Forced evictions should be carried out in accordance with the law, based on a clearly identified public interest, with the rights of the affected communities protected, which didn't happen here."
Chad is a party to both the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and is obliged to protect its citizens from arbitrary or unlawful interference with their home and family.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 Catholic Information Service for Africa. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
