London - Tens of thousands of Sudanese refugees in Chad risk water shortages as thousands of Chadians flee toward them from a spillover of ethnic violence from Sudan's Darfur region, aid workers warned on Thursday.
Oxfam International warned it may have to cut daily rations for the Sudanese refugees living in camps in southeastern Chad to help hundreds of displaced Chadians arriving daily to safe areas near the camps.
The humanitarian group said it may not be able to adhere to international standards of 15 litres per person per day.
Roland Van Hauwermeiren, head of Oxfam's operations in eastern Chad, said in a statement that Oxfam's pumping station in Goz Beida, where many displaced are arriving, is already working at full capacity for the refugee camp.
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Following a visit Tuesday to Goz Beida, where more than 4 000 Chadians have arrived since last week, he warned that rations would have to be slashed if there is no more water in the ground.
"As we cannot deprive these new arrivals of water, we will have to find other solutions, such as reducing the water available every day or trucking in water, until the security situation stabilizes
and people are comfortable going home," Van Hauwermeiren said.
On Monday, the Chadian government declared a state of emergency covering much of the country after recent clashes between Arab and non-Arab communities killed hundreds of people in the east.
The Chadian government has blamed Khartoum for causing the latest bout of unrest, accusing the Sudanese government of launching "a global strategy ... to destabilise Chad."
In recent weeks, UN diplomats have spoken of the possibility of deploying a police force to Chad to protect the more than 200 000 Sudanese refugees and more than 50 000 internally displaced persons. - Sapa-AFP
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