UN humanitarian chief to visit Chad next week

UN humanitarian chief Valerie Amos will visit Chad on May 5-6 with a mission to raise attention to the humanitarian situation in the country, a UN spokesman said here Friday. This will be Amos' first visit to Chad since she was appointed the UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and UN emergency relief coordinator in July 2010, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said at a daily news briefing. "She'll be there to raise attention to the humanitarian situation, notably chronic food insecurity and malnutrition, and the humanitarian impact on Chad of the crisis in neighboring Central African Republic," Dujarric said. "She will also discuss how to support a more resilience-oriented approach to address chronic malnutrition and food insecurity in the Sahel zone of Chad. " Tens of thousands of people poured into Chad to flee unrest in Central African Republic and they are now in urgent need of help, UN officials said. Since the outbreak of violence in Central African Republic in December 2013, the Chadian government and the UN have repatriated more than 80,000 people from the country and the numbers continue to increase. The United Nations and its partners have developed a six-month response plan of 33 million U.S. dollars to cover immediate needs for 150,000 people, with only 6 million dollars mobilized.