AFRICA/CHAD - More than 50,000 Sudanese refugees in Chad moved to safer camps

Rome (Fides Service)-More than 50,000 refugees from Sudan in Chad have been moved by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees UNHCR to safer camps further in the interior.
The UNHCR hopes to open two more camps in the north - at Mille and at Am Nabak and one in the south at Asterena, 22 km north east of di Goz Beida. Asterena camp will host refugees from the border town of Tissi, at the southern most tip of the band of 600 km affected by the flow of refugees. In collaboration with the Chad government agency CNAR, UNHCR has already registered 7.300 refugees and around Tissi and hopes to start transfer operations before the end of this week. Due to distance and bad roads convoys from Tissi will take two days to reach the new camp. Moreover the convoys will not travel by night for fear of attacks by bandits. Besides refugees from Tissi, Asterena camp will host refugees presently in the area of Ade where UNHCR has registered 9,382 people. In the meantime in the north registration by CNAR continue: so far 10,864 refugees have been registered by the local agency. Another 15,320 refugees have been registered in the border town of Bahai. Once these operations are completed UNHCR and its operative partners will proceed with the distribution of food aid and other provisions.
At Touloum, more than 10,000 people in make shift shelter with plastic sheeting began last week to move into tents. To provide adequate assistance some 1,200 have been set up and another 400 will be ready shortly.
People from Sudan are fleeing the western Darfur region where the army is engaging in military operations with members of a local pro-government militia group Janjaweed.
For some time Darfur has been the scene of tension among nomad Arabs and black African farmers, fighting over scarce resources of water and fertile land. The tension exploded into military combat in February 2003, and has intensified in the first months of 2004. At least 3,000 people have been killed and 670,000 are internally displaced and another 100,000 have sought safety in Chad.
The army troops use fighter helicopters and Antonov transport planes made into bombers. There are two guerrilla groups Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM). Both claim they are fighting to obtain more attention for the region which they say the government marginalizes. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 5/5/2004 righe 39 parole 500)