The Sudanese refugees of camp Farchana in eastern Chad have complained of a high mortality rate, especially among children and pregnant women, from malaria and diarrhoea. They lament the deteriorating environment health, the spread of flies and mosquitoes and lack of medicines.

Speaking to Radio Dabanga from the camp on Monday, Sheikh Mohamed Dafallah blamed failure to bridge, drain and spray the pools of standing water left by the autumn rains. He appealed to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to assist by bridging and spraying the pools, and providing medicines against malaria.

The Sudanese refugees of camp Kounoungou in eastern Chad have complained of the spread of malnutrition among children.

The sheikh of the camp, Issa Tijani, told Radio Dabanga that the food shortage is aggravated by the rise in prices of consumer goods at the markets. He also expressed concern at the failure of the agricultural season as there have been insufficient rains.

Tijani appealed to the UNHCR and the World Food Programme (WFP) to immediately increase food rations for the refugees. He reported an increasing number of cases of malnutrition, especially among children and pregnant women.

He acknowledged that the WFP treats 50-60 malnourished patients with saturated biscuits every day, but attributes the cause of the malnutrition in the camp to the short food rations provided to refugees by the programme.