Goz Beida, Chad (AlertNet) Â? Chad has told aid workers helping refugees in the turbulent east of the country, where kidnappings are common, that they will be safe when the last U.N. peacekeepers leave next month.
Some aid workers fear the withdrawal of the U.N. force, called MINURCAT, might make their job even more dangerous, although most agencies are adopting a wait-and-see approach.
Chadian troops are taking over security from the U.N. mission, which was set up in 2007 to protect civilians and facilitate humanitarian aid to people uprooted by fighting in Chad, Central African Republic and Sudan's Darfur region.
There are about 500,000 displaced people in the area, half of them refugees from Darfur, according to U.N. officials.
"Unlike what some people think, the departure of MINURCAT will not be a concern," said Valentin Mouassingar, governor of the Dar Sila region which hosts 16,000 Sudanese and over 17,000 displaced Chadians.
Chad believes its forces' recent successes in rescuing abducted aid workers, including two members of staff from Oxfam UK and Oxfam Intermon (Spain), as well as in retrieving vehicles stolen from Africare and MINURCAT should allay doubts among some agencies about their capacity to manage the situation.
"I am confident that our forces of defence will do all to ensure the safe and secure movement of aid workers who have accepted to come here and serve refugees, displaced persons and host Chadian communities," Mouassingar told AlertNet in Goz Beida about 800km east of NÂ?Djamena.
BANDITRY
Chad called for the withdrawal of MINURCAT early this year, saying the U.N. force had not fully deployed and citing improved relations with neighbouring Sudan.
Both countries have set up a joint border monitoring force that is expected to reach 4,000 men by the end of the year.
In September, the force rescued an expatriate contractor who had been kidnapped in Am Djarass in Chad and taken to West Darfur.
However, aid groups say the real test for the Chadian forces will be in the dry season when better conditions on the east's bad roads means agencies do more overland travel and there is often a rise in banditry.
They are also concerned that the effectiveness of the joint border force could be weakened should Sudan return to civil war between the north and south following a self-rule referendum to be held in the south early next year.
"I still can't understand why the U.N. accepted Chad's request for MINURCAT to withdraw when they are aware of the political calendar in Sudan and the potential risks," said one aid worker who did not want to be named.
"They might end up having to return here in another name and mandate and that would be late and costly."
KIDNAPPINGS
Some aid groups have already limited their operations to so-called secure areas, partly in response to attacks in the summer. They have also reduced their expatriate staff who are more likely to be targeted for ransom demands.
"We are not pulling out (of eastern Chad) we have teams on the ground but we have limited long distance travel in this part of the country for our expatriate (European) staff," said Abakar Mahamat, head of Oxfam Intermon which had a staff member kidnapped in June.
U.N. agencies and local non-governmental organisations which use military escorts have to rely on the Detachement Integre de Securite (DIS), a U.N. trained force of police and gendarmerie officers which is in charge of security within and around refugee camps and towns.
Analysts say it is vital for Chad to secure the logistical and financial support necessary to run the DIS and other security forces if it is to maintain security in the east, especially with parliamentary and presidential polls slated for next year.
"We have noted the efforts of the Chadian authorities to ensure a smooth transition and we are ready to support them, especially the DIS," Delphine Marie, spokeswoman for the U.N. Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in Chad, told AlertNet in Goz Beida.
The government is planning to ask donors and international partners to help support the DIS. Its proposal is for 1,000 officers at an estimated cost of $13.8 million, the United Nations said.
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