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25 June 2024 (Geneva) – The humanitarian crisis in eastern Chad has reached a critical point, with the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) appealing to the international community for urgent assistance.
The urgent call for action comes amid a growing number of Sudanese refugees in border areas, growing health problems, escalating security incidents and the approaching rainy season.
According to reports, the conflict in Sudan has forced more than 600,000 refugees and 180,000 Chadian returnees to flee to Chad since April 2023, the vast majority of whom are women and children, with more than 115,000 arriving since the beginning of 2024.
The refugee flow shows no signs of abating, with an average of 630 people crossing the Adre border every day over the past month as they flee a devastating war into Sudan that has plunged the country into famine.
UNHCR and its partners have expanded existing refugee settlements and built six new ones, as well as two villages for Chadian returnees. All of these sites are equipped with basic services and infrastructure, including family shelters, mobile clinics, water points, sanitation facilities and educational facilities known as temporary learning spaces.
However, it said those efforts were insufficient to meet the overwhelming demand.
Equally pressing is that one-third of new immigrants today still live in makeshift settlements along the border, living in very poor conditions, and the town of Adre, which originally had 40,000 residents, is struggling to accommodate a six-fold increase in population.
Crowded and unsanitary conditions in Adre have led to a severe health crisis, with more than 1,200 cases of hepatitis E reported, including three deaths. The upcoming rainy season (expected between June and September) is likely to exacerbate the crisis, potentially leading to outbreaks of waterborne diseases and hampering humanitarian access.
The situation in Chad is complex and has further deteriorated as fighting in Sudan’s Darfur region intensifies. Despite the tireless efforts of UN agencies and partners to support the Government of Chad in responding to the emergency, the situation is deteriorating rapidly.
The potential for further displacement remains high as fighting continues in the town of El Fasher and surrounding rural areas in North Darfur, with reports of widespread looting and burning of villages and impending famine in Sudan expected to force further refugee influxes into Chad.
A joint monitoring mission comprising government partners and UNHCR recently confirmed at the Tine border entry point in Wadi Feira that 300 new refugees have arrived in recent weeks, with the refugees reporting arduous journeys of up to 15 days to escape Sudanese militias.
UNHCR further calls on all parties to allow civilians who wish to relocate from El Fasher to safer areas.
The Government of Chad has asked UNHCR and its partners to speed up the transfer of new arrivals from border areas, particularly Adré. UNHCR has opened a new site that can accommodate up to 50,000 people, but more are needed.
Meanwhile, UNHCR’s appeal for its 2024 aid operation in eastern Chad is underfunded, with only 10% of the requested $214.8 million received so far. To meet urgent needs, UNHCR said it urgently needs $80 million to build three additional sites with basic services and infrastructure to resettle an estimated 150,000 additional arrivals.
(English stone)
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