The United Nations has announced that around 20,000 people have fled Sudan to Chad over the past two weeks to escape the violence in West Darfur, expressing concern over “these mass displacements occurring at an alarming rate.”
Speaking at a regular press conference in Geneva, Magatte Guisse, the UNHCR Representative in Chad, stated, “About 20,000 people, most of them exhausted and traumatized women and children, have arrived in Chad in just the past two weeks.”
He confirmed that “this influx is the result of escalating violence in the North Darfur region of Sudan, especially in El Fasher and its surroundings, causing mass displacement at an alarming pace.”
Brutal Attacks
Speaking from N’Djamena, Guisse described the refugees fleeing “brutal” and “widespread” attacks, with most arriving without food, money, or personal documents. Some even witnessed their homes burning.
Sudan, the third-largest country in Africa by area, has been experiencing a devastating war since April 2023, triggered by a power struggle between the army commander Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the de facto ruler since the 2021 coup, and his former deputy, the commander of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.
The war has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and displaced 13 million people, with some areas suffering from famine in what the UN describes as the “world’s worst humanitarian crisis.”
Escalation of Fighting
In recent weeks, fighting has intensified over control of El Fasher, the last major city in Darfur not under RSF control, which is seeking to make up for its loss of Khartoum last month.
Guisse called for “an end to attacks on civilians in Sudan and the provision of safe passage for those fleeing to save their lives.”
Chad, one of the poorest countries in the world, is unable to assist over 794,000 Sudanese refugees who have fled into its territory on its own.
He noted, “Humanitarian resources in the country remain extremely limited, while the needs for water, shelter, health, education, and protection continue to rise.”
The UNHCR estimates that it needs $409 million to respond to the refugee crisis in Chad this year, but has only received 20 percent of that amount from donors so far.
