Last Monday, armed men occupied a large refugee camp in an area in the eastern part of Chad known as Goz Amer. It’s home to nearly 18 thousand refugees from Sudan’s Darfur region. It was unclear who the armed group was, although some refugees said the men claimed to be Chadian rebels.
Matthew Conway is a spokesman for the UN refugee agency (UNHCR). From the town of Abeche in eastern Chad, he gave English to Africa reporter Joe De Capua an update on the situation in Goz Amer:
“The situation is pretty much back to normal in the latest information we’ve received. The rebels left the camp the following morning. As you may recall we did have a number of gendarmes, provided by the government of Chad, who were injured, one of whom died of his injuries. But no refugees or civilians were targeted or injured, fortunately. And the situation has returned more or less to normal. But we have reduced our staff there, at least to ensure a basic minimum of services. And we hope to be back there as soon as possible.”