Chadian authorities on Wednesday began demolishing dozens of temporary shelters inside the Adré Refugee Camp in eastern Chad, using heavy machinery accompanied by security forces and police officers. The operation has raised widespread concern among refugees, the majority of whom are women, children, and elderly people.
Sudanese refugee Al-Tijani Haroun told Mashaweer that camp residents were taken by surprise by the demolitions, adding that they had not expected them to be carried out in what he described as an “inhumane manner.”
Haroun appealed to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to intervene urgently to protect refugees and their property and to help minimize the damage caused by the operation.
Meanwhile, a source at the UNHCR told Mashaweer that the Chadian authorities intend to relocate refugees from the demolished shelters to other planned camps equipped with essential services as part of a broader effort to reorganize accommodation arrangements.
The temporary Adré Refugee Camp in eastern Chad currently hosts between 150,000 and 200,000 Sudanese refugees. However, unofficial estimates suggest that the total number of refugees in Adré and its surrounding areas may exceed 300,000, most of whom fled the war in Sudan’s Darfur region—particularly from El Geneina and neighboring areas—following the outbreak of the conflict in April 2023.
