UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 13 (UPI) -- Five refugees stranded by floods in southern Chad traveled by canoe and on foot to meet with refugee agency staff, the United Nations said.
The five are leaders of 2,000 refugees from the Central African Republic, who fled into Chad three weeks ago because of violence in their own country, only to be stranded in Bekam, a town turned into an island by swollen rivers and destroyed bridges.
The refugees said they fled their villages in northern Central African Republic because of deteriorating security, including attacks by cattle breeders who want their fields, according to Ron Redmond, a spokesman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees.
"This is the first time that we've have direct contact with this group of refugees since they crossed over to southern Chad from CAR three weeks ago," Redmond said.
He said the refugees would probably be transferred by boat to nearby Bedoumia and then temporarily moved to the Amboko camp, where 23,000 refugees from CAR are already housed. The camp's maximum capacity is 27,000.
"The transfer of the refugees is all the more urgent because they are currently dependent on the generosity of the local villagers in Bekam. Sanitation is also a concern there," Redmond said.
Because of overcrowding worries, the Chadian government has agreed to the construction of a new camp, the United Nations said.
