The continuous presence of refugees generates a substantial impact on the ecological state of this Saharan region where natural resources are already scarce, notably in terms of firewood, thus amplifying the desertification process. The dunes which surround the camp get considerably closer to the refugees’ houses.

ACTED implements an ambitious programme for the fixation of dunes. Many young trees which grew in the nursery will be planted in a wide area of 600 by 300 metres, hence protecting the camp from the expansion of the desert. Almost 70,000 trees have already been planted, mostly in the beneficiaries’ premises, therefore enabling the renewal of the wooden covering of the camp. Many households already have young trees, and a reforesting area should permit the creation of a grove between the camp and the desert. The young trees are currently in the midst of their development. Additionally, ACTED has also planted trees for the local populations in order to guarantee an access to timber resources. The firewood is central to the tensions between refugees and local populations. ACTED has thus pledged to reduce the refugees’ ecological impact to the minimum, through intensified dissemination of heating and cooking means with low energy consumption and sensitization to the optimal use of the distributed resources (firewood and oil).

A new start for the refugees?

The camp of Oure Cassoni was set up in an emergency context which was never overcome. It has allowed more than 28,000 people to benefit from essential humanitarian aid, but which they remain dependent from. Fleeing conflicts, refugees remain at the heart of tensions between Sudan and Chad, and are thus vulnerable to any rise in violence. Within this context, the Chadian government has just decided to relocate the camp to an area further away from the border. Humanitarian actors have been calling for this decision for a long time. This relocation could well prove to be a renewed opportunity for the refugees. However, to implement this project under the best conditions, one requires sufficient planning, means and coordination. Besides, it is only a mid-term solution. Beyond this relocation, the needs will indeed remain significant, in Oure Cassoni and elsewhere. ACTED, in cooperation with the other humanitarian stakeholders in the area, will therefore continue providing Sudanese refugees with basic needs to ensure satisfactory living standards, while also trying to promote self-sufficiency to foster promising prospects for the future.

Since 2004, almost 28,000 of the refugees who have fled the conflict in Darfur have lived in the camp of Oure Cassoni, the Sudanese refugee camp located the farthest north of Eastern Chad. ACTED has been assisting the refugees in the camp since then. Five years later, the emergency situation continues. Although self-sufficiency remains elusive, ACTED has been, in partnership with both the European Commission Humanitarian Aid Department and the UNHCR, committed to enhance the future prospects of the most deprived.

Read more about ACTED intervention in Ouré Cassoni:

Five years at the heart of the desert