Sudanese Refugee Crisis Pushes Eastern Chad to the Breaking Point, Says UN

Edited by: Widad WAHBI

The massive influx of refugees fleeing the war in Sudan has pushed eastern Chad to the brink of collapse, the United Nations warned on Friday.

“Chad is in crisis, and its eastern region has reached a breaking point,” said François Batalingaya, the UN humanitarian coordinator for Chad, during a press briefing in Geneva.

Since the outbreak of conflict in Sudan in April 2023, over half a million people have crossed the border into Chad, severely straining local infrastructure and humanitarian operations in one of the country’s most impoverished and fragile areas.

Humanitarian organizations are overwhelmed, with urgent shortages in food, shelter, and medical supplies. The UN has called for immediate international support to prevent a full-scale humanitarian disaster.