Yaoundé, Cameroon — Officials in Chad say urgent international help is needed to save the lives of more than 2 million people caught in a severe humanitarian crisis caused by conflicts and climate shocks.

Officials say the country is among the poorest nations in the world, and food is particularly scarce now, as hunger peaks in the June-to-August lean season between harvests. 

Abdelmadjid Abderahim, Chad’s minister of public health, said he is pleading with all international partners to help Chad during a severe humanitarian crisis affecting over 2 million civilians in the country of about 18 million people. Abderahim said flooding, an influx of refugees, increasing numbers of displaced persons, and armed conflicts between communities are inflicting suffering on civilians that Chad’s government alone cannot meet. 

Abderahim, speaking Monday on Chad state TV, described the food insecurity and humanitarian crisis as unprecedented. He said the crises are exacerbated by insufficient agricultural production due to climate change, droughts and an influx of destructive migratory birds and crickets. 

Chad hosts over 600,000 refugees displaced from conflict-ridden Sudan, and their numbers and humanitarian needs are growing. 

Chad is also home to tens of thousands of civilians fleeing violence between rebels and government troops in the Central African Republic.  

Several hundred thousand civilians displaced in Chad by Boko Haram terrorism are also in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. 

Added to that are the millions of people affected by floods and drought that hit Chad over the past year. 

Rasit Pertev, representative of the World Bank in Chad, said the World Bank is contributing $60 million to help Chad’s government cope, and will mobilize an additional $100 million to assist a government response plan. 

Last week the World Food Program, the World Bank, the European Commission, Japan, and the United States said they are also contributing to help Chad by distributing food, seeds and sharing cash transfers to families most exposed to hunger. 

They said the program will target the most affected provinces including Ennedi East, Wadi Fira, Ouaddaï, Sila, Logone Oriental, Lac, Kanem, and Bahr El Ghazal on the border with Sudan. Foreign donors did not say how much they will be giving to assist Chad in the emergency response plan. 

The plan also envisages the provision of nutritional supplements for children under 2 years old, pregnant women, and breastfeeding mothers. 

The World Food Program said to reduce the increasingly severe and recurrent crises, substantial investments in agriculture and support to reduce climate shocks should be intensified. Reinforcing the purchasing power of the most vulnerable populations is also a key to improving living conditions, the WFP added. 

The World Bank reported that poverty and vulnerability are pervasive in Chad, with over 42% of the population living below the national poverty line. 
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