Kobiteye, Chad – IOM, the UN Migration Agency earlier this week (05/02) handed over semi-durable shelters to 107 households at the Kobiteye returnee camp on the southern border of Chad that hosts over 5,500 Chadian returnees from the Central African Republic (CAR).

Located some 600km south of the capital city N’Djamena, the Kobiteye site has been home to returnees since 2013. IOM Chad has been active in providing socio-economic and psychosocial support and this latest development was made possible with support from Japan.

This week's handover ceremony was attended by the IOM Chad team led by Chief of Mission Anne Schaefer, local authorities represented by the Prefect and Deputy Prefect of Gore, Chief of Army, Chief of Police, and traditional authorities.

Given the precarious tents that returnees have been using as their only means of shelter, the provision of these semi-durable shelters to the most vulnerable individuals – including women, handicapped persons, and elderly heads of household – constitutes a major improvement in their living conditions and safety.

A representative of the returnees commended IOM Chad’s continued support over the last four years and thanked the people of Japan for funding this project. In the same speech, he advocated for a health centre for the site, stating the tremendous difficulties returnees face in accessing the main health centre, situated one hour by foot from the site.

Schaefer also thanked Japan for its generous donation and the local authorities for their continued support during the implementation of the project. She exhorted the beneficiaries to make good use of the shelters. The representative from the Ministry of Planning and Cooperation expressed the satisfaction of her ministry with IOM’s mission in Chad in general, but more specifically with the durable solution for the Chadian returnees from CAR, which is in alignment with the country’s national development plan.

The Prefect thanked IOM and Japan for their effort and collaboration. He assured IOM of the continued support, assistance, and protection from the local and national authorities in the implementation of IOM’s mission in Chad.

This tri-party collaboration between the Chadian government, IOM and migrants displays a successful implementation of all available resources to facilitate re-integration of migrants into their respective communities in a way that benefits both the migrants and the society. 

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For more information, please contact Anne Schaefer, IOM Chad. Tel: +235 602 817 78; Email: aschaefer@iom.int