Sudanese refugees in Chad face deepening humanitarian crisis

The situation of Sudanese refugees in neighbouring Chad is reaching a breaking point as the number of arrivals in the country increases, humanitarian actors warned.

Chad hosts a quarter of the 4 million refugees who fled the Sudanese civil war since April 2023.

An additional 80,000 people left Sudan for eastern Chad in the past two months, after armed groups attacked displacement camps in North Darfur, according to NGO Doctors Without Borders.

These assaults have killed more than 300 civilians as of 3 June, according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

The UN refugee agency said most of the newly-arrived people in Chad had suffered violence, with 72% reporting "serious human rights violations, including physical and sexual violence, arbitrary detention, and forced recruitment."

Moussa Mansour Issa is a 68-year-old farmer. He fled the Zamzam camp in Darfur and reached Chad in early June.

"Only God can understand the hell we went through to escape Zamzam camp. Those were very difficult times. We had to hide for three days because of the intense fighting and war all around us", he said.

Once in Chad, refugees hope to find food, shelter and safety, but resources are scarce.

"People in Chad welcomed us, but we're facing many difficulties. We have no food except what they give us", said 35-year-old Mariame Ahmat Adam. She arrived in Chad with her six children after a five-day journey in late April.

The World Food Programme warned on Monday of growing risks of hunger and malnutrition for Sudanese refugees.

The Trump administration’s decision to cut the United States' foreign aid has hampered assistance. In 2024, the US contributed $39.3 million to the emergency response in Chad. So far this year, it has contributed about $6.8 million, according to the UN.

"Sudanese refugees deserve protection and assistance, not further hunger and despair", said Shaun Hughes, the WFP Regional Emergency Coordinator for the Sudan Crisis.

The agency said it would reduce food assistance in the coming months without new funding.

Emergency response for Sudanese refugees is also at risk in six other African countries, including Egypt, Ethiopia and South Sudan.

The WFP said it needed over $200 million to meet its needs for this crisis over the next 6 months.