Cameroon to Chad – via Paris

It sounds silly. Travel between two adjacent African countries via another continent. This is exactly what I did last weekend in returning to Chad’s capital N’djamena after a little over four weeks in my safe haven of Cameroon.

It isn’t that there is a lack of transport between the two locations. I almost went overland, which would have taken four days and required two military escort vehicles because of insecurity in northern Cameroon. As far as planes, Air Toumaï (also known as Air Tchad) makes the journey several times a week. It is, however, a question of safety. And for all official UN business, Air Toumaï is not a travel option. Thus, many of us must make the 22-hour transit that includes two transcontinental flights with a layover in Paris, France instead of a 2 hour flight on Air Toumaï.

In January, BBC published an interesting article titled African blitz on ‘flying coffins’ :

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/4619866.stm

In it, it is reported that Africa accounts for only 4% of global air traffic but 27% of all air crashes. This is enough to convince me to take the longer, more inconvenient flight.

The BBC article is well-founded. Air travel can be dangerous in Africa. On Christmas day 2003, 151 people perished in a plane crash that left Guinea and had a layover in Benin heading to Beirut. It is reported that “Exact passenger numbers are impossible to determine, as it is thought that there were more passengers aboard than were listed on the manifest.” The overload of passengers and baggage is precisely the reason why the plane was unable to take off correctly, clipped a building, and plunged into the ocean off the coast of Cotounou, Benin.

So I mentioned the inconvenience of 22 hours of travel; however what if it was made to be a 46 hour voyage with a day and a half of roaming around Paris? That changes things a bit! I had just a bit of luck, I suppose, because this was actually the least expensive option. Advantages included: Iranian and French cuisine, good wine, a night out in the Latin Quarter, strolling past Le Louvre and onto Le Champs Elysée, a little shopping at Gare Saint Lazare, the smells of really stinky cheese, and even an Egg McMuffin at Micky D’s. Hey, if I am going to be sent to Paris, I am going to indulge a bit!

The other evacuees who returned to Chad did not share my same itinerary. The UN sent a plane on the 15th of May to pick up my colleagues and return them to Chad. My “special” transport situation was because I attended a workshop all of last week. The workshop was on “Emergency Food Security Assessment,” which essentially means an assessment performed during an emergency situation that determines what people need, with a focus on food needs.

The Cameroon days are over, and now I am falling back into a routine in Chad. Things are calm for the moment, even if the rebels are still planning attacks. Any major conflicts should remain dormant for now, at least until after the rainy season when movement around the countryside will not be restricted because of the temporary rivers (called “waddis” in Chad) that arise suddenly at this time of year.

My life in Chad has returned, but only temporarily. In six weeks, I will be coming home for a month break before returning to Chad in August. This time, I will spend almost as much time travelling as I did last weekend, but I will have a much more sensible layover – but what can you do with only 5 hours in Paris?