Sustained influx of refugees maintains Crisis! (IPC Phase 3!) in Assoungha and Kimiti

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Crisis! (IPC Phase 3!) and Crisis (IPC Phase 3) outcomes persist in the eastern provinces due to the influx of refugees, which drives competition over scarce labor opportunities and rising food prices, resulting in limited income. However, refugees’ access to food assistance limits their food consumption deficit. Crisis (IPC Phase 3) outocomes also persist in the north and west, notably Kanem, Barh el Gazel, and Lac. The decrease in the trade flow from Libya and Nigeria is reducing market supply and, as a result, keeping food prices high. In addition, the lack of employment opportunities impacts household purchasing power, which remains low, reducing their access to food from markets. In the agricultural Sudanian zone, the limited availability of green maize and tuber enables households to cover their food consumption needs but not their non-food needs. They are in Stressed (IPC Phase 2).
Since the start of the conflict in Sudan, more than 629,000 new refugees and 174,000 returnees have been registered in the East. Sudanese refugees and Chadian returnees have lost their livelihoods and have limited access to labor opportunities, both agricultural and non-agricultural, due to the oversupply of labor. The influx of refugees is increasing the number of people in need, while humanitarian organizations are faced with insufficient funding for assistance, especially during the lean season. As limited food aid is concentrated in the eastern provinces, food assistance delivery to internally displaced population in the Lac province has been suspended since March 2024 (WFP).
The current agricultural season is marked by average to above-average rainfall, with irregular spatial and temporal distribution. The current agricultural campaign is hampered by the decrease in planted area and the rise in the price of agricultural inputs caused by the closure of the borders with Sudan and insecurity on the borders with Libya and Nigeria. Plowing and sowing of long-cycle groundnuts, millet, sorghum, and maize in the Sudanian zone and field preparation in the Sahelian zone will be adversely affected by these conditions. In addition, the pastoral situation in the Sahelian zone is marked by the scarcity of pasture due to erratic rainfall despite the overall resuming of rainfall. Water points dry up early and have not yet begun to refill, resulting in livestock’ s poor body conditions, which impact on their market value.
Food prices have risen significantly compared with a typical year and the five-year average due to the decrease in market supplies of basic foodstuffs, exacerbated by the rise in fuel prices. Continuing border insecurity disrupted the flow of goods from Nigeria and Libya. Moreover, market supplies from surplus areas are also limited. In the southern zone, Logone Occidental, Logone Oriental, and Tandjilé, millet prices are up 12, 25, and 18 percent, respectively, compared to the five-year average. On the other hand, in agropastoral areas, due to the decrease in livestock prices, terms of trade are at the disadvantage of livestock farmers.

Recommended citation: FEWS NET. Chad Key Message Update July 2024: Sustained influx of refugees maintains Crisis! (IPC Phase 3!) in Assoungha and Kimiti, 2024.

This Key Message Update provides a high-level analysis of current acute food insecurity conditions and any changes to FEWS NET's latest projection of acute food insecurity outcomes in the specified geography. Learn more here.