The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has announced that the conflict in Sudan has forced over 600,000 Sudanese refugees and 180,000 Chadian returnees to flee from Sudan to Chad.
In a statement, the UNHCR noted that “the humanitarian crisis in eastern Chad has reached a critical stage,” calling for “immediate international support for Sudanese refugees at the Chad border.” The commission added that “the refugee influx shows no sign of abating, with around 630 people crossing daily in May via the Adré border crossing between Chad and Sudan.”
The UNHCR has expanded refugee camps and built two villages for returning Chadians in collaboration with its partners, but these efforts are “insufficient to meet the vast needs of the refugees in Chad.” It highlighted that “a third of the new arrivals in Chad currently live in dire conditions in informal sites along the border.”
The UNHCR warned that “the situation could rapidly deteriorate at the Chadian border, with a high likelihood of further displacements due to ongoing fighting in El Fasher and surrounding rural areas in North Darfur.”
The UNHCR’s 2024 humanitarian appeal for eastern Chad faces severe funding shortages, with only 10% of the required $214.8 million secured. The agency urgently needs $80 million to meet immediate refugee needs, including building three additional sites equipped with essential services and infrastructure to accommodate 150,000 new arrivals.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported on Tuesday that more than 10 million people have been displaced within and outside Sudan since April 15, 2023.
Since mid-April 2023, intense and widespread clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces have erupted in various parts of Sudan, as both sides vie for control of key locations. These conflicts have resulted in over 15,000 deaths and millions of internal and external displacements, according to the United Nations.
