2nd Phase
Part of a very unstable region, Chad has received waves of refugees from its neighbours, the Central African Republic (CAR) and Sudan since 2003. The UNHCR coordinates the assistance and protection provided to the 250 000 Sudanese and Central African Republican refugees in a number of different camps. This assistance is implemented by NGO partners of the UNHCR. The arrival of refugees from Darfur and cross-border attacks by armed groups, increased competition for natural resources, growing insecurity and increasingly lethal confrontations between communities in 2006-2007 led to the displacement of large numbers of Chadians. Greater quantities of international aid were sent and classic camps (referred to as IDP sites to distinguish them from refugee camps) were set up and managed by the UNHCR. From spring 2007, OCHA supported the implementation of the Cluster Approach. The international community and the UN Security Council have been very active in trying to deal with security problems affecting humanitarians and protection problems affecting the local population in Eastern Chad. In order to create favourable conditions for refugees to return home, EU and UN military operations for Chad and CAR (EUFOR and MINURCAT 1) were deployed1 in 2007-2008. The EUFOR withdrew from Chad definitively on 15 March 2009 and its mandate was transferred to MINURCAT 22 . Presentation of the mission As part of phase 2 of the Cluster Approach evaluation, an evaluation team travelled to Chad from 26 October to 11 November 2009. The team met a broad range of actors including UN agencies, NGOs, Red Cross organisations and donors present in the field. Most of the field visit took place in Eastern Chad, particularly in Abéché, Goz Beida and Koukou.