Chad: Press Release - CERF Allocates USD 16 Million To Support The Response to Humanitarian Crises - 29 May 2025

CERF Allocates USD 16 Million to Support The Response to Humanitarian Crises in Chad

(N'Djamena, 29 May 2025) - The United Nations Under-Secretary for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator allocated US$13.5 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to Chad, including US$12 million to help it cope with the under-funded humanitarian emergencies of 2024 and US$1.5 million to support climate action funding.

With the recent uptick in refugee and Chadian returnee arrivals from Sudan, the Emergency Relief Coordinator allocated a further 2.5 million dollars from the CERF on 22 May. This brings the total allocation to Chad to 16 million dollars.

“This allocation is a real relief at a time when international funding is falling drastically, while the Sudanese crisis is imposing a heavy burden on eastern Chad. It is increasing the vulnerability of host communities, while the food and nutrition crisis continues to grip the country”, said Dr François Batalingaya, Humanitarian Coordinator for Chad.

The $16 million envelope will enable the recipient agencies to help alleviate the suffering of the affected populations in the various provinces. The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) will build shelters and will put in place protection services such as relocation, registration and documentation, including in the provinces of Ouaddaï and Wadi-Fira.

The World Food Programme (WFP) will carry out general food distributions and prevent acute malnutrition in the provinces of Ouaddaï and Wadi-Fira.

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) will increase the availability of water, hygiene and sanitation services in connection with climate adaptation. It will also provide treatment for acute malnutrition and support education for children in the Lac, Wadi-Fira and Ouaddaï provinces.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) will provide emergency personnel, material and medical support to health facilities in Wadi-Fira to promote equitable and rapid access for the population to emergency primary health care (including psychological care for survivors of gender-based violence).

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) will strengthen the food security of vulnerable populations and support the climate resilience of agricultural producers in the Lac province.
Lastly, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) will provide via multi-purpose cash assistance to Chadian returnees and the most vulnerable members of the host community in Wadi-Fira.

Over the past five weeks, the UNHCR has registered more than 47,000 newly arrived refugees in eastern Chad. Wadi-Fira province now hosts more than 188,000 refugees spread over a handful of organised sites and nearly a dozen spontaneous settlements with little or no infrastructure. In Ennedi Est, the refugee population exceeds 36,000.

This situation comes at a time when more than 2.4 million people in the eastern provinces that have taken in refugees were already in need of humanitarian assistance. In the Ennedi Est region alone, 123,000 people are in need. According to the latest SMART assessments and surveys, around 280,000 people in Wadi-Fira are facing moderate to severe acute malnutrition, while 60,000 people are affected in Ennedi Est. Severe food insecurity affects more than 477,000 people in the four eastern provinces (Ouaddaï, Sila, Wadi-Fira and Ennedi Est) according to the results of the November 2024 Cadre Harmonisé.

For more information, please contact:
Dieudonné Bamouni, OCHA Chad Head of Office, dieudonneb@un.org, +235 68 85 10 00
Catherine Arseneau, Public Information Officer, catherine.arseneau@un.org, +235 68 00 08 42