Refugees: ‘water scarcity causes violence’

Darfuri refugees from Gaga and Farshana camps in Eastern Chad have appealed to all public and environmental health organizations to urgently address the scarcity of drinking water in the camps, Radio Dabanga was informed on Tuesday November 27. The refugees claim that the scarcity of drinking water sparks violence among women and children while searching for water. They added that solving the scarcity issues will reduce clashes between women and children around the water pumps. Gaga campYassin Yahya, vice-president of Gaga camp, told Radio Dabanga that the lack of water causes suffering for women, particularly in summer time. He explained that the scarcity leads to verbal and physical violence among the refugees in the camp.Yahya demanded the organizations to provide water in order to contain the violence among the refugees. Farshana campFurthermore, Mohamed Dafalla, president of Farshana camp, told Radio Dabanga on the occassion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, that the problem of access to potable water inside the camps is one of the main causes of violence among refugees.He stated that some of the social customs such as female genital mutilation is another cause of violence in the camps. Dafalla called for urgent action from humanitarian organizations to solve the issues, he added to Radio Dabanga.Photo: water well at refugee camp in Eastern Chad, Radio Dabanga file photo