Impending Humanitarian Crisis Facing Sudanese Refugees in Chad

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has warned of an impending humanitarian crisis in eastern Chad due to the more than threefold increase in the number of Sudanese refugees fleeing the conflict. The refugee population has surged from 400,000 before the war to over 1.2 million in just two years.

UNHCR Coordinator in Chad, Dossou Ahwanou, noted that the current situation of refugees in eastern Chad is placing unbearable pressure on the country’s capacity to respond. He stated that border crossings have reached 1,400 people per day in recent days.

Ahwanou added that the emergency response is being severely hampered by critical funding shortages, with current resources covering only 14 percent of urgent needs, amid acute shortages of shelter and water.