Refugees burden Chad
2004-07-28 12:47
Nairobi - Chadian President Idriss Deby has said the huge influx of refugees from Sudan has brought his country into a dire situation, reports said on Wednesday.
The population of Chad is in "deep need" of assistance, he told the British Broadcasting Corporation in the Chadian capital N'Djamena after a meeting with French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier.
The conflict in the Darfur region of neighbouring Sudan has sent 180 000 Sudanese fleeing over the border, more than doubling the population in eastern Chad in recent months. Already scarce resources have diminished further.
Deby appealed to the European Union for help.
Barnier was in Chad and western Sudan as part of a three-day African tour. He was due to go to South Africa on Wednesday. - Sapa-dpa
- SAPA