CAPE TOWN – Many refugees who have been living in Chad’s Lake Province for years after fleeing jihadist attacks, still cannot return home and are trying to rebuild their lives as best as they can, United Nations Refugee Agency UNHCR said on Friday.
Alimi Abali, 52, says he and his family have been living in Forkoloum camp for more than six years. Forkoloum camp is home to 50,000 internally displaced people on the banks of Lake Chad.
Abali may have built a new life for himself there, but he remains nostalgic for the one he left behind, according to UNHCR.
He fled to the camp with his three wives and 11 children after a sudden, violent attack on his home village.
“Boko Haram attacked us one night when the whole village was gathered for festivities. They shot everyone. Children were abducted. Some of my brothers died. Their wives and children ran away with us,” he said.
Seven of his relatives were killed that night, while 13 of his nieces and nephews were kidnapped.
When they first came to Forkoloum seven years ago, the camp was much smaller. Today, the site stretches as far as the eye can see. “When we arrived, we were like strangers here. We slept under the trees,” Abali said.
Over the intervening years, the family has replicated the home they once had. Several solid circular huts built with reeds from the lake and wooden branches collected in the bush stand in contrast to the makeshift shelters of the most recent arrivals. There is even a chicken coop and a horse that the family uses “like a bicycle, for daily travel”, Alimi jokes.
Here, everyone knows him. People call him “Boulama” – chief in Chadian Arabic. This mark of respect reflects his status as a village leader. Among other things, he is responsible for resolving problems and tensions that arise within the community.
UNHCR said it is working in the camp and across the country to provide those who have fled their homes with the means to become self-sufficient. This includes providing cash so they can start businesses, as well as training in business management, and on peaceful co-existence with local communities and issues such as gender-based violence.
Abali’s wife Yaka Moussa manages their most precious asset, a grocery stall she opened a little less than two years ago.
“We received some money from UNHCR and with that we bought bulk commodities to resell,” she said, indicating basic goods including peanuts, oil, drinks and washing powder.
This small stall provides for the family's needs. “It is thanks to this that we feed, clothe and care for ourselves,” Abali said. He points to the baby in his wife's arms, “Our child was sick. He had to go to the hospital for three days and we were able to pay for it thanks to our business.”
Half of Lake Province’s inhabitants, about 450,000 people, are displaced. Most are internally displaced people (IDPs) from other parts of the region or country, numbering more than 400,000.
Alongside them are 30,000 former Chadian refugees who have returned from neighboring countries, often because of rising jihadist threats there. Finally, the region hosts more than 16,000 refugees from Nigeria and Niger. In total, there are 229 sites hosting IDPs and refugees in the area.
Mariama, 25, is a refugee from Nigeria, who arrived at Dar es Salaam camp a year ago. She fled with her husband and children after an armed attack in which several of her neighbours were killed.
"For the moment, I want to stay here because I feel safe. But if stability returns to my country and my village, then I will return," she said.
– African News Agency