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Amnesty International on Thursday called on the Chadian government to allow United Nations (UN) peacekeepers to continue protecting 250,000 refugees from Darfur and 170,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) in the east of the country.

The government has insisted that the United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad (MINURCAT) must leave Chad when its mandate expires on 15 March 2010, arguing that the force has failed its mandate.

"Hundreds of thousands of vulnerable civilians would be exposed to increased attacks by Chadian armed opposition groups, irregular militias, criminal gangs and members of the Chadian security forces, if MINURCAT were to leave" said Tawanda Hondora, deputy director of Amnesty International’s Africa programme.

MINURCAT has been deployed to eastern Chad since March 2008 to protect and enable humanitarian assistance to hundreds of thousands of refugees and IDPs that have sought shelter in the area.

Deployment has been slow over the past two years but the force is now for the first time deployed at around 70 percent of the level set by the UN Security Council and has received technical support from various countries.

Attacks on humanitarian workers and civilians, which reached alarming levels in the last months of 2009, have begun to decrease as MINURCAT soldiers have been able to carry out patrols in sensitive areas they were previously unable to patrol.

"The Chadian government has the responsibility and duty to protect its own population and other persons living on its territory but for many years it has shown itself incapable and unwilling to do so with respect to Eastern Chad," said Tawanda Hondora.

Human rights violations including rape and recruitment of child soldiers are carried out with almost total impunity in eastern Chad, by members of Chadian and Sudanese armed opposition groups, bandits and members of the Chadian security forces.

Amnesty International said it also fears that humanitarian agencies that assist refugees, IDPs and the local population in eastern Chad would be forced to close some or all of their programmes if MINURCAT were to pull out as the security vacuum left behind by the UN withdrawal would make it too dangerous for many to operate.

"This would leave hundreds of thousands without essential humanitarian assistance and facing increased security risks due to the absence of an international presence," said Tawanda Hondora.

"The UN Security Council must not accede to the request of the Chadian authorities until it is clear that the government of Chad is capable and prepared to protect the human rights of people living in eastern Chad."

In January 2010, the government of Chad sent a note verbale to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) requesting it to not renew the mandate of the United Nations Mission to the Central African Republic and Chad.

Following this request, the UN Secretary-General sent a Technical Assessment Mission to Chad to discuss the issue with Chadian authorities.

Chadian officials who met the UN team are reported to have confirmed the government’s insistence that MINURCAT’s mandate not be renewed when it expires on 15 March 2010.

On 8 February 2010, during a trip to Sudan, Chadian President Idriss Déby Itno reaffirmed that it is his government’s position that MINURCAT must leave Chad at the expiration of its mandate.

The UNSC passed Resolution 1778 (2007) on 25 September 2007 establishing both a military and policing component to MINURCAT. The military force was deployed on 15 March 2008.

For the first year it was under the command of the European Union. Command of the military force was transferred to the UN as of 15 March 2009.

MINURCAT has the mandate, inter alia, to contribute to the protection of refugees, displaced persons and civilians in danger by facilitating the provision of humanitarian assistance in eastern Chad and the north-eastern Central African Republic.

img src=http://www.amnesty.org/sites/impact.amnesty.org/files/imagecache/previewsize/sites/impact.amnesty.org/files/PUBLIC/Regions/AFR/nigeria-eviction-100×100.jpg alt= title= /br/Governments in Africa must end the practice of forced evictions that leave hundreds of thousands homeless every year, Amnesty International said on World Habitat Day, 5 October.br /
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In most cases evictions are conducted without any due process, consultation, adequate notice or compensation. Officials carrying out the evictions often use excessive force against residents.br /
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quot;It is completely unacceptable that governments across Africa continue to act in violation of regional and international law, including the African Charter on Human and Peoplesrsquo; Rights,quot; said Erwin van der Borght, Amnesty Internationalrsquo;s Africa Programme Director.br /
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quot;Governments have a responsibility to ensure that no further forced evictions take place in Africa and that victims of forced evictions receive adequate alternative housing and access to effective remedies.quot; br /
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Amnesty International has documented cases of forced evictions in Angola, Chad, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Sudan, Swaziland and Zimbabwe. The effect of forced evictions can be catastrophic, particularly for people who are already living in poverty.br /
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quot;Forced evictions result not only in people losing their homes and personal possessions, but after forced evictions people may no longer be able to access clean water, food, sanitation, work, health and education,quot; said Erwin van der Borght.br /
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As recently as July and August 2009, mass forced evictions were carried out in Angola, Chad, Kenya and Nigeria. br /
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In Angola, between 20 and 26 July, around 3,000 families were forcibly evicted from their homes in the adjoining neighbourhoods of Iraque and Bagdad in Angolarsquo;s capital Luanda. The familiesrsquo; homes were demolished, their possessions destroyed, and they were left without shelter. br /
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In Chad, since February 2008, tens of thousands of people have been made homeless after being forcibly evicted from their homes in Nrsquo;Djamena, Chadrsquo;s capital. Houses and other structures have been demolished in several neighbourhoods. Homes were still being demolished in late July 2009, and more people are at risk of being forcibly evicted.br /
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In Kenya, in July 2009, approximately 3,000 people were forcibly evicted from their homes in Githogoro village, in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi. The evictions were carried out without adequate notice or any consultation with those affected. Many were left without shelter, some being forced to live in the rubble of their former homes, and without access to clean water, sanitation or health care.br /
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In Nigeria, in August 2009, the government of Rivers state began forcibly evicting thousands of people to make way for a cinema complex: thousands more remain at risk of forced eviction and destitution. Many of those facing forced eviction claim the state government’s consultation on the planned evictions was not adequate. The people who live there have received no adequate alternative housing.br /
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People from all over the African continent are planning protests on World Habitat Day to condemn the mass forced evictions being carried out by governments. br /
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Survivors of mass forced evictions, residents of informal settlements and Amnesty International supporters in Burkina Faso, Cote drsquo;Ivoire, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, Togo and Zimbabwe will speak out with one voice against forcible evictions in Africa on 5 October 2009. br /
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Amnesty International members in Austria, Canada, Finland, Iceland, the Netherlands, Switzerland, the UK and the US will engage in simultaneous campaigning activities in solidarity with their call. br /
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quot;The mobilisation of people from all over Africa in defiance of the hugely destructive practice of mass forced evictions carried out by governments continent wide is a wake up call to African leaders,quot; said Erwin van der Borght. br /
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quot;People will not stand by as their homes are illegally destroyed by their government.quot;br /
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As part of its Demand Dignity campaign Amnesty International calls on governments in Africa to adopt guidelines for evictions, based on the UN Basic Principles and Guidelines on Development-Based Evictions and Displacement, and which comply with international human rights law.br /
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strongLet Africa’s leaders know what you think/strongbr /
SMS your own personal message to +447786 200 220 [local operator charges apply] saying why forced evictions in Africa need to be brought to an immediate end. Your message will be passed on to governments all over the continent and will be displayed on a href=http://www.demanddignity.orgwww.demanddignity.org/a.br /
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strongSign a petition/strongbr /
Download the petitions below targeting the authorities in Angola, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Kenya, Nigeria and Zimbabwe. They are designed to be printed on large banners that people can write on. You may want to use the text of the petitions to design your own petitions or postcard actions.br /

Darfuri refugee women and girls face high levels of rape and other violence on a daily basis both inside and outside refugee camps in eastern Chad, despite the presence of UN security forces, a new Amnesty International report revealed on Wednesday.br /
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In emstrongNo place for us here: Violence against refugee women in eastern Chad/strong/em, Amnesty International documents rape and other violence against women and girls in the camps, who face attacks carried out by villagers living nearby and members of the Chadian National Army.br /
br /
quot;The rape that countless women and girls experienced in Darfur continues to haunt them in eastern Chad,quot; said Tawanda Hondora, Deputy Director of Amnesty Internationalrsquo;s Africa Programme.br /
br /
quot;These women fled Darfur, hoping that the international community and Chadian authorities would offer them some measure of safety and protection. That protection has proved to be elusive and they remain under attack.quot;br /
br /
The report says that refugee girls also experience sexual harassment at the hands of their teachers at schools in the camps. Some girls are reported to have been threatened that they would receive poor marks if they refused to have sexual intercourse with their teacher, leading some to drop out of school.br /
br /
quot;Many people know that women who venture outside refugee camps in eastern Chad to collect firewood and water face harassment and rape,quot; said Tawanda Hondora.br /
br /
quot;What people donrsquo;t realize is that there is little safety inside the camps for these same women. They face the risk of rape and other violence at the hands of family members, other refugees, and staff of humanitarian organizations, whose task it is to provide them with assistance and support.quot;br /
br /
The DIS (Deacute;tachement Inteacute;greacute; de Seacute;curiteacute; ndash; or Integrated Security Unit), a Chadian police force supported by the UN Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad (MINURCAT), has been given specific responsibility for providing security in and around refugee camps and is now fully deployed, with more than 800 officers in the 12 refugee camps in eastern Chad.br /
br /
However, members of the DIS have been direct targets of violence and some DIS officers have even committed human rights violations themselves.br /
br /
Most refugee women and girls do not feel that the DIS has done much to address the insecurity they are facing.br /
br /
quot;The DIS spends a lot of time protecting themselves. Even the UN soldiers have to protect them. No one seems to have much time to protect us,quot; said one woman interviewed by Amnesty International researchers at Gaga Refugee Camp.br /
br /
Perpetrators of rape and other forms of violence against refugee women and girls in eastern Chad are very rarely brought to justice. This is the case even when survivors report rape and other attacks to the local Chadian authorities, the DIS or to refugee camps leaders.br /
br /
quot;The deeply-entrenched culture of impunity throughout eastern Chad ndash; especially when it comes to rape and other forms of violence against women ndash; must end immediately,quot; said Tawanda Hondora.br /
br /
The use ofnbsp; traditionalnbsp; dispute resolution methodsnbsp; to find quot;negotiatedquot; settlements to cases of rape and other violence against women and girls also perpetuates impunity and furthers violence.br /
br /
A 13-year-old girl in Farchana Refugee Camp was raped by a Chadian nurse working for an organization that manages health centres in the camp. She became pregnant following the rape and gave birth in January 2009.br /
br /
The man accepted that he was responsible for the pregnancy and negotiations were conducted with him, after which he agreed to marry the girl and pay a dowry to her family. He later fled the area.br /
br /
Despite complaints being filed with Chadian officials, by May 2009 it did not appear that there had been any effort to find him, nor had any legal action been initiated against him.br /
br /
Amnesty International said that it is not possible to know the exact number of women and girls who have been victims of rape and other violence inside and outside refugee camps in eastern Chad, as women rarely report such crimes primarily because of fear of stigma, including from their own family members, and trauma.br /
br /
quot;Married women who have been raped are often shunned or abandoned by their husbands, while girls and young women who have been raped very often find it difficult to marry. As a result, most women and girls choose to remain silent about rape to avoid the negative social consequences ndash; meaning the perpetrators get away with their crimes,quot; said Tawanda Hondora.br /
br /
Amnesty International called for immediate, effective steps to be taken by both the Chadian government and the international community to address the pervasive and systematic rape and other forms of violence against Darfuri refugee women and girls in eastern Chad.br /
br /
quot;A clear and comprehensive plan that makes it clear that rape and sexual violence are unacceptable crimes should be put in place immediately, and relevant Chadian laws enforced,quot; said Tawanda Hondora.br /
br /
quot;The plan should address the range of circumstances that put women and girls at risk of rape and other forms of violence inside and outside the refugee camps and the ways in which both national and international actors can help to protect women from these terrible crimes.quot;

Darfuri refugee women and girls face high levels of rape and other violence on a daily basis both inside and outside refugee camps in eastern Chad, despite the presence of UN security forces, a new Amnesty International report revealed on Wednesday.br /
br /
In emstrongNo place for us here: Violence against refugee women in eastern Chad/strong/em, Amnesty International documents rape and other violence against women and girls in the camps, who face attacks carried out by villagers living nearby and members of the Chadian National Army.br /
br /
quot;The rape that countless women and girls experienced in Darfur continues to haunt them in eastern Chad,quot; said Tawanda Hondora, Deputy Director of Amnesty Internationalrsquo;s Africa Programme.br /
br /
quot;These women fled Darfur, hoping that the international community and Chadian authorities would offer them some measure of safety and protection. That protection has proved to be elusive and they remain under attack.quot;br /
br /
The report says that refugee girls also experience sexual harassment at the hands of their teachers at schools in the camps. Some girls are reported to have been threatened that they would receive poor marks if they refused to have sexual intercourse with their teacher, leading some to drop out of school.br /
br /
quot;Many people know that women who venture outside refugee camps in eastern Chad to collect firewood and water face harassment and rape,quot; said Tawanda Hondora.br /
br /
quot;What people donrsquo;t realize is that there is little safety inside the camps for these same women. They face the risk of rape and other violence at the hands of family members, other refugees, and staff of humanitarian organizations, whose task it is to provide them with assistance and support.quot;br /
br /
The DIS (Deacute;tachement Inteacute;greacute; de Seacute;curiteacute; ndash; or Integrated Security Unit), a Chadian police force supported by the UN Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad (MINURCAT), has been given specific responsibility for providing security in and around refugee camps and is now fully deployed, with more than 800 officers in the 12 refugee camps in eastern Chad.br /
br /
However, members of the DIS have been direct targets of violence and some DIS officers have even committed human rights violations themselves.br /
br /
Most refugee women and girls do not feel that the DIS has done much to address the insecurity they are facing.br /
br /
quot;The DIS spends a lot of time protecting themselves. Even the UN soldiers have to protect them. No one seems to have much time to protect us,quot; said one woman interviewed by Amnesty International researchers at Gaga Refugee Camp.br /
br /
Perpetrators of rape and other forms of violence against refugee women and girls in eastern Chad are very rarely brought to justice. This is the case even when survivors report rape and other attacks to the local Chadian authorities, the DIS or to refugee camps leaders.br /
br /
quot;The deeply-entrenched culture of impunity throughout eastern Chad ndash; especially when it comes to rape and other forms of violence against women ndash; must end immediately,quot; said Tawanda Hondora.br /
br /
The use ofnbsp; traditionalnbsp; dispute resolution methodsnbsp; to find quot;negotiatedquot; settlements to cases of rape and other violence against women and girls also perpetuates impunity and furthers violence.br /
br /
A 13-year-old girl in Farchana Refugee Camp was raped by a Chadian nurse working for an organization that manages health centres in the camp. She became pregnant following the rape and gave birth in January 2009.br /
br /
The man accepted that he was responsible for the pregnancy and negotiations were conducted with him, after which he agreed to marry the girl and pay a dowry to her family. He later fled the area.br /
br /
Despite complaints being filed with Chadian officials, by May 2009 it did not appear that there had been any effort to find him, nor had any legal action been initiated against him.br /
br /
Amnesty International said that it is not possible to know the exact number of women and girls who have been victims of rape and other violence inside and outside refugee camps in eastern Chad, as women rarely report such crimes primarily because of fear of stigma, including from their own family members, and trauma.br /
br /
quot;Married women who have been raped are often shunned or abandoned by their husbands, while girls and young women who have been raped very often find it difficult to marry. As a result, most women and girls choose to remain silent about rape to avoid the negative social consequences ndash; meaning the perpetrators get away with their crimes,quot; said Tawanda Hondora.br /
br /
Amnesty International called for immediate, effective steps to be taken by both the Chadian government and the international community to address the pervasive and systematic rape and other forms of violence against Darfuri refugee women and girls in eastern Chad.br /
br /
quot;A clear and comprehensive plan that makes it clear that rape and sexual violence are unacceptable crimes should be put in place immediately, and relevant Chadian laws enforced,quot; said Tawanda Hondora.br /
br /
quot;The plan should address the range of circumstances that put women and girls at risk of rape and other forms of violence inside and outside the refugee camps and the ways in which both national and international actors can help to protect women from these terrible crimes.quot;