Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) continues to provide medical assistance to civilians affected by recent fighting in N’Djamena, Chad’s capital city, as well as refugees who have fled the combat to Cameroon, and displaced populations in the east of the country.
Since Monday, the situation has remained relatively calm in the capital. Between February 2 and February 5, MSF treated 106 wounded in one of the N’Djamena hospitals. An additional 500 wounded civilians were admitted into the two main hospitals of N’Djamena since fighting started over the weekend. On Tuesday, MSF visited these two hospitals, but hundreds of wounded had fled the city either heading towards the south of Ndjamena, to Cameroon, or to Nigeria, and only 100 out of 500 wounded remain.
The International Committee for the Red Cross is now working in the Liberté Hospital while MSF has provided the General Hospital with medical and surgical supplies and has reinforced the Chadian staff with a nurse, a pharmacist, and a surgical team which has started to operate. Wounded people are continuing to arrive for treatment. There are 14 international staff members working in N’Djamena.
Full cargos with medical, logistical supplies, and relief items are also being sent to the region.
Displaced and refugees in Cameroon
An estimated 60,000 people have crossed the border into Cameroon and settled in the town of Kousseri. People are still arriving in the town. Eighty-two wounded were admitted into Kousseri hospital. A team of doctors including a surgical team, nurses, and a logistician is on the field to provide medical care to the refugees and to distribute relief items. One cargo plane arrived to Garoua this morning with 15 tons of drugs, medical, and logistic material to support the team’s activities. A team is now assessing the situation between N’Djamena and Bongor where displaced people are arriving too.
Situation in Eastern Chad
While MSF teams have been reduced in eastern Chad due to the unpredictable situation, MSF is still continuing to work in the region where the teams provide primary and secondary health care, psychosocial care, water and sanitation to Sudanese refugees and to Chadians, both local residents and displaced people, in Abeche, Adre, Farchana, Goz Beida, Dogdoré, Guereda, Iriba, and Am Timam.
