The Government of Hungary is opening a humanitarian and development centre in the capital of Chad, N’Djamena, as part of the Hungary Helps Programme. This permanent representation will be responsible for coordinating and ensuring the effectiveness of Hungarian humanitarian and development programmes in Chad and the Sahel. With the opening of the centre, Hungary’s engagement in Africa will reach a milestone, and with it the Hungary Helps Programme. The Hungarian government has recognised the significance of the challenges facing the Sahel region in Africa, that the growing crises, political instability, civil wars, armed conflicts and persecution of Christians could lead to an unprecedented humanitarian disaster. The countries of the region are losing stability one after the other, and this could have a major impact on Europe, including Hungary. If the last remaining stable bastion, Chad, were to suffer the same fate, it could mean the start of a flood of migrants, which would pose an extremely high risk to Europe. It is in this situation that the Hungarian government has decided to open a development centre, based on the experience of the humanitarian missions launched this year in the Sahel. The humanitarian aid will not only contribute to the protection of people from the surrounding conflict zones, but will also help the Chadian population under constant threat from Boko Haram (an Islamist terrorist organisation). We are also using Hungarian agricultural and water expertise to help people facing hunger get access to safe food, drinking and irrigation water in a desertification-stricken country. With these long-term plans, we can help to turn the African continent from a continent of threats to a continent of opportunities.
