“Life-saving aid” does not meet people’s needs: Chad’s new response needs urgent attention

As rain in northern Cameroon becomes more scarce, Musgum fishermen and farmers dig large basins to retain water and fish, causing problems for the Choa Arab herders whose animals can fall into the basins and die. Violence between these ethnic groups last August led 11,000 Cameroonians to flee their homes and resettle in villages scattered along the Logone River in Chad’s Chari-Baguirmi province. Repatriation of 8,500 refugees was at an advanced stage of discussion between governments when renewed violence in December forced 85,000 more Cameroonians to flee. Chari-Baguirmi province is where 37,000 have relocated, with the rest moving to N’Djamena.

Humanitarians affirm that crisis-affected communities should influence what kind of assistance they receive and how they receive it. Ground Truth Solutions (GTS) helps to evaluate whether people feel their views, indeed, influence humanitarian decisionmaking. Since 2018, GTS has conducted six rounds of face-to-face surveys across Chad to understand people’s perceptions of the aid they receive. This sixth round of data collection explores how Cameroonian refugees and Chadian host community members perceive this new and urgent humanitarian response in the Chari-Baguirmi province.

The analysis reveals:

• Affected people think the registration and subsequent targeting processes were poorly implemented
• Most recipients find the “life-saving assistance” goals inadequate
• They do not think the aid they receive meets even their most basic needs
• Few people (38%) feel informed about available aid and even fewer (20%) think aid providers listen to their communities’ opinions.