Chad most affected by conflict in Sudan, says UNOCHA

March 7, 2024 (PORT SUDAN) – Chad is the African country most affected by Sudan’s war, hosting 46.9% of Sudanese refugees to date, the United Nations said.

Since the outbreak of armed clashes in Sudan on 15 April 2023, Sudanese refugees and Chadian returnees from Darfur have reportedly been converging on more than 37 border entry points in eastern Chad in search of shelter.

The conflict, according to the UN humanitarian agency (OCHA), has displaced more than a million people in neighbouring countries, of whom more than 686,000 have sought refuge in Chad, with thousands of new arrivals every week.

There are also concerns that some 139,932 Chadians living in Sudan have returned to their country without any means of subsistence. These refugees are living in numerous formal and informal camps in four provinces in eastern Chad.

This devastating conflict is also accompanied by extreme hunger affecting more than 5 million children and pregnant and breast-feeding women, who have lost their means of subsistence, OCHA said, adding “In the camps, access to essential health services is disrupted due to limited human resources and medicines.”

This complex humanitarian situation, OCHA further highlighted, is compounded by epidemics of dengue fever and measles in the affected provinces, as well as acute gastroenteritis and suspected yellow fever and cholera.

As of 04 February 2024, the report noted, 4,566 new refugees have been registered in the four eastern provinces of Chad, making a total of 546,770 Sudanese refugees registered (53.9% of whom are located in Adré, the epicentre of the crisis) and 139,932 Chadian returnees since the start of the conflict in Sudan.

The refugees and returnees are spread across the Chadian provinces of Ouaddaï, Sila, Wadi-Fira and Ennedi East.

Meanwhile OCHA said a total of 263 deaths were recorded, including 157 (59.7%) malnourished children, 34 maternal deaths, 22 casualties and 50 other deaths.

More than 25 million people across Sudan, South Sudan and Chad are trapped in a spiral of deteriorating food security, latest figures from the UN show.

(ST)