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Zawya
03-06-2025
- General
- Zawya
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) warns crisis reaching breaking point as Sudanese refugee numbers triple in Chad
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is raising the alarm over the deepening humanitarian emergency in eastern Chad, where the number of Sudanese refugees has more than tripled in just over two years of deadly conflict. Since April 2023, more than 844,000 Sudanese refugees have crossed into Chad. Prior to this latest crisis, Chad was hosting approximately 409,000 Sudanese refugees who had fled earlier waves of conflict in Darfur between 2003 and 2023. In just over two years, the country has seen this refugee population surge to over 1.2 million people, far exceeding the number received during the previous two decades and placing unsustainable pressure on Chad's ability to respond. The most recent influx to Chad began in late April 2025, following violent attacks by armed groups in North Darfur in early April. Assaults on displacement camps, including Zamzam and Abu Shouk, and El Fasher town killed more than 300 civilians and sent tens of thousands in search of safety. In just over a month, 68,556 refugees have arrived in Chad's Wadi Fira and Ennedi Est provinces, with an average of 1,400 people crossing the border daily in recent days. These civilians are fleeing in terror, many under fire, navigating armed checkpoints, extortion, and tight restrictions imposed by armed groups. UNHCR protection teams have interviewed 6,810 newly-arrived refugees since late April, uncovering harrowing accounts of violence and loss. A staggering 72 per cent reported serious human rights violations, including physical and sexual violence, arbitrary detention, and forced recruitment; 60 per cent said they had been separated from family members. As well as a displacement emergency, there is a devastating children's crisis unfolding. Among school-aged children, 66 per cent are currently out of education, and 30 children have arrived with serious injuries. Among those affected is Hawa, a seven-year-old girl who fled to Chad with her older sister after losing her mother, father and two brothers in a bombardment of Zamzam. During the attack, Hawa sustained severe injuries and one of her legs had to be amputated. Her story is just one among countless others that reflect the devastating physical and psychological toll of the ongoing war on civilians in Sudan. There is an urgent need to expand health-care provision and mental health support to address immediate suffering and lay the groundwork for recovery and reconciliation. Despite the efforts of humanitarian partners and local authorities, the emergency response remains dangerously underfunded. Shelter conditions are equally dire. Only 14 per cent of current needs are being met, leaving tens of thousands exposed to extreme weather and insecurity. Refugees currently receive only 5 litres of water per person per day, well below the international standard of 15 to 20 litres for basic daily needs. This severe shortage forces families to make impossible choices that put their health and dignity at risk. Additionally, around 290,000 refugees remain stranded at the border, exposed to the elements, insecurity and the risk of further violence. UNHCR also stresses the urgent need for the global community to acknowledge and act to eradicate the grave human rights abuses being endured in Sudan. The violence in and around El Fasher, the proliferation of checkpoints, and movement restrictions imposed by armed groups are making civilian movement increasingly perilous and contributing to rising risks for those still trying to flee. As part of the Sudan Regional Refugee Response, UNHCR and partners in Chad are urgently seeking $553.7 million to respond to the life-saving needs of refugees fleeing Sudan into eastern Chad, including protection, shelter, food, water and sanitation. Four million people have now fled Sudan into neighbouring countries since the start of the war, now in its third year – a devastating milestone in what is the world's most damaging displacement crisis. If the conflict continues, thousands more people will continue to flee, putting regional and global stability at stake. This is a crisis of humanity, of safety, and of childhood. The lives and futures of millions of innocent civilians, including children like Hawa, hang in the balance. Without a significant increase in funding, life-saving assistance cannot be delivered at the scale and speed required. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Zawya
06-05-2025
- Zawya
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) warns of soaring needs amid Sudanese influx to Chad from Darfur
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is gravely concerned by the rapidly increasing number of Sudanese refugees crossing into eastern Chad, with nearly 20,000 people – mostly exhausted and traumatized women and children – arriving in the past two weeks alone. The sharpest rise has been recorded at the Tiné border crossing in Wadi Fira Province, where almost 6,000 people arrived in just two days. Since 21 April, over 14,000 individuals have been counted in Wadi Fira, including 12,000 in the last week, but also 5,300 people in Ennedi Est over the past fortnight, including 1,000 on Sunday alone. This sudden influx reflects the escalating violence in Sudan's North Darfur region, particularly in and around El Fasher, which is triggering mass displacement at an alarming pace. The latest movements follow brutal attacks by armed groups in North Darfur, where assaults on displacement camps – including Zamzam and Abu Shouk – and El Fasher town have caused widespread terror. Refugees arriving in Chad report that over 10,000 people are still en route, desperately trying to reach the border to escape the violence. Many of the newly arrived refugees report experiencing grave violence and human rights violations that forced them to flee. They describe men being killed, women and girls subjected to sexual violence, and homes burned to the ground. Their journeys to safety were perilous, with refugees facing robbery and extortion at checkpoints and repeated threats along the way. Most arrived in Chad with nothing – no food, money, or identification. Several wounded individuals, including children and elderly women, reportedly fell from vehicles during the chaotic escape. A rapid protection assessment by UNHCR and its partners indicates that 76 per cent of the newly arrived refugees were subjected to serious protection incidents, including extortion, theft and sexual violence. At the same time, protection teams at the border have identified increasing numbers of people with specific needs – including 752 at-risk children, 22 of whom were injured in the conflict, as well as unaccompanied children, pregnant and breastfeeding women, and elderly survivors. Despite extraordinary efforts by local communities and authorities, the capacity to absorb the new arrivals is severely overstretched. Chad already hosts 1.3 million refugees, including 794,000 arrivals from Sudan since the conflict started more than two years ago. While the country continues to show remarkable solidarity in hosting refugees, it cannot bear this burden alone. Humanitarian resources across the country remain extremely limited, while needs continue to grow for water, shelter, health, education and protection. Since 23 April, eight convoys have relocated almost 1,850 newly arrived refugees to Iridimi, a site in Wadi Fira Province. UNHCR and partners are delivering life-saving assistance at border points and relocation sites, but current efforts remain far from sufficient given the scale of the crisis. Attacks on civilians in Sudan must end, and safe passage needs to be allowed to those fleeing for their lives. UNHCR urges the international community to urgently step up support for the response. Of the $409 million required to respond to the refugee crisis in Chad in 2025, only 20 per cent has been funded to date. We urgently call for increased solidarity and immediate funding to ensure these vulnerable populations receive the protection and assistance they need, now. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Zawya
06-05-2025
- Zawya
Exhausted Sudanese flee into Chad as fighting escalates
Nearly 20,000 people – mainly traumatized women and children – have reached Chad in the past two weeks, according to the UN refugee agency, UNCHR. 'Most arrived in Chad with nothing – no food, money or identification,' said Magatte Guisse, UNHCR Representative in Chad. 'Several wounded individuals, including children and elderly women, reportedly fell from vehicles during the chaotic escape.' Chad is one of the poorest countries in the world and already hosts 1.3 million refugees. This includes nearly 800,000 people from Sudan since war broke out between the Sudanese Armed Forces and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in April 2023, after a breakdown in transition to civilian rule. Heavy fighting in Sudan has devastated much of the country, likely killed tens of thousands and displaced almost nine million people, UN agencies say. No food, no money In Chad, the Tine border crossing in Wadi Fira Province has seen the sharpest spike in new arrivals, with more than 6,000 people in just two days, Sudanese refugees are exposed to robbery and extortion at checkpoints – and many have also witnessed men being killed, women and girls sexually abused, and homes burned to the ground. The refugee agency reported that armed groups have extorted, robbed or sexually assaulted around 76 per cent of the newly arrived refugees. A nation of 19 million people where resources are already strained, Chad is overstretched and needs 'increased solidarity and immediate funding, to ensure these vulnerable populations receive the protection and assistance they need, now'. Renewed attacks on Port Sudan In a related development, a third day of drone strikes hit the international airport and a power station in Port Sudan, the UN's humanitarian hub for coordinating aid operations across Sudan. The city is the current seat of government and until this weekend had been largely spared from the violence that is ongoing in Khartoum, Darfur and elsewhere. Thousands of people fleeing the war have also sought shelter in Port Sudan. 'Port Sudan airport is a lifeline for humanitarian operations, serving as the primary entry point for aid personnel, medical supplies and other lifesaving relief that is coming into Sudan,' said Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN aid coordination office, OCHA. The airport is 'immensely important', he told journalists in Geneva. According to reports, the Red Sea city suffered a complete power outage after drone strikes hit a large power station on Tuesday. Other strikes reportedly hit an army base in the city centre, a fuel depot and a hotel close to the airport, which is located near to the presidential palace. These attacks have increased the 'already severe' lack of aid access and delivery challenges facing humanitarian teams across the country, explained Mr. Laerke, adding that such violence is prohibited under international humanitarian law. It is widely believed that the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces are responsible for the attacks. No UN facilities or operations have been impacted but UN Humanitarian Air Service flights in and out of the city have been paused. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of UN News.
