Oure Cassoni — Refugees from camp Oure Cassoni, east Chad, are suffering from the accumulation of dirt, composed mostly of animal waste, the camp's sheikh told Radio Dabanga on Monday, 17 December.

He said that more than 34.785 refugees living at the site are confronted with the problem.

According to the sheikh, an environmental health organization used horse carts to transport waste out of the camp. However, 64 employees were recently fired and the service has stopped, he explained.

In addition, the same organization has allegedly closed three of its offices inside the camp two months ago, causing a further deterioration of environmental health at Oure Cassoni.

The sheikh told Radio Dabanga that there is no other entity responsible for keeping the camp clean at the moment, adding that refugees must do it themselves.

Sheikhs from other refugee camps in east Chad, namely from Goz Amer and Iridimi, confirmed the story their counterpart from Oure Cassoni told Radio Dabanga.

They also said that the situation has led refugees to designate certain weeks for "cleaning campaigns" to avoid the accumulation of dirt at the camps.