§ Lord Aveburyasked Her Majesty's Government:
What requests they have received from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees for additional resources to care for refugees from Darfur, Sudan, now on the territory of Chad; and in particular for resources to upgrade the airport and associated facilities at Abeche, in eastern Chad, to accommodate the volume of traffic needed by humanitarian agencies. [HL1439]
§ Baroness AmosDfID is one of the largest donors to UNHCR operations in Chad for Sudanese refugees, having provided £1 million in October 2003 in response to the initial 16 million dollar (approximately £9 million) appeal. We are aware that the UNHCR is airlifting relief supplies to Abeche in eastern Chad for its operations there. We are not aware of any specific request from UNHCR for resources to upgrade the airport although there is no reason why funds given to UNHCR should not be used for this purpose. Last week a DfID humanitarian adviser visited Chad and held discussions with relief agencies including the UNHCR team working in Abeche. We remain ready to provide further assistance if necessary.
§ Lord Aveburyasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will reallocate some development aid funds from Sudan to Chad. [HL1525]
102WA
§ Baroness AmosAs a result of the conflict in Darfur in western Sudan, refugees have been crossing the border into eastern Chad. It is estimated that there are now 110,000 Sudanese refugees in Chad and that over 650,000 people have been displaced within the Darfur region.
In response to this crisis, we have contributed over £6 million in humanitarian assistance to United Nations (UN) agencies and international non-governmental organisations. This includes £1 million for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees' work in Chad. We are considering further contributions for organisations working on both sides of the Chad/ Sudan border.