Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), revealed that since the outbreak of civil war in Sudan in April of last year, approximately 680,000 refugees have crossed into Chad seeking safety and food. These refugees form part of the 3 million Sudanese who have fled their country due to the conflict.
In a recent statement, Tedros described meeting mothers carrying their children who had walked for days to reach the border. “They were hungry, exhausted, alone, and fearful. Their homes had been burned, crops destroyed, and livestock stolen,” he recounted.
Notably, nearly 70% of the refugees crossing from Sudan into Chad are children, many of whom are teenagers fleeing forced recruitment or arbitrary detention.
Tedros emphasized the mental health challenges these children face, drawing comparisons to similar situations he witnessed in Ukraine following the Russian invasion in 2022. He noted the long-term mental health impacts on children affected by conflict in regions like Sudan, Ukraine, Gaza, Lebanon, and Yemen.
He stressed that mental health services for children were already limited in many of these conflict zones before the fighting started, and the need has now become even more urgent as the services become scarcer.
