Sudanese refugees from West Darfur continue to flow into Chad, while refugees from Iridimi, El Acha, Adré, and Gaga camps report dire humanitarian conditions. More than 1,000 people reportedly cross the border into Adré on some days. 90 per cent of them say they left Sudan due to food insecurity, UN deputy humanitarian coordinator in Sudan reports.
Toby Harward, the UN deputy humanitarian coordinator in Sudan, says on his X account that more than 1,000 people have crossed the border into Adré, on some days, and that 90 per cent of them say they left Sudan due to food insecurity. He expects more refugees to flee if the World Food Programme (WFP) and its partners are unable to distribute food in Darfur.
The WFP said restrictions imposed by Sudanese authorities were hampering a relief plan for 700,000 people in Darfur ahead of the rainy season. WFP said in a statement that the authorities were preventing the transfer of aid through the town of Adré, although it was the only possible route across the border from Chad, as it could serve West Darfur and other locations in Central, South, and East Darfur.
WFP warned of running out of time to prevent hunger in Darfur and said civilians in El Fasher and the Darfur region were facing catastrophic levels of hunger, in light of the cessation of aid coming from El Tina crossing which is worsened by protracted bureaucratic hurdles.
Casimir Kudjimbai, a protection officer at the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), says in a report that more than 10,000 refugees arrived from Sudan in March alone, amid an increase in the number of malnourished children.
Chad is home to approximately 900,000 Sudanese refugees who have fled the war in Sudan, 88 per cent of them women and children.
The new refugees in Irdimi camp say they have been living in dire conditions for four months due to the lack of available water, food, medicine, and the lack of healthcare for the elderly, children, and the chronically ill.
Refugee Khalil Ahmed El Tom from Irdimi camp told Radio Dabanga that the 3,000 refugees of 2023 organised a protest yesterday, in front of the headquarters supervising refugees in the camp, demanding food, water, health, education, and security. He explained that they had earlier submitted four memoranda to the competent authorities carrying their demands and received promises to distribute aid yesterday, but they were not fulfilled by the supervising authorities. He pointed out that they last received cash assistance of $10 per family in January and have not received further aid since then.
He pointed to the weakness of healthcare in the camp with the spread of malnutrition diseases among children and the presence of chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, kidney failure, diabetes, and other diseases leading to deaths.
He warned of problems related to education and shelter, especially as numerous refugees have not yet received shelter. He called on all humanitarian organisations to intervene urgently to save the lives of Sudanese refugees, warning of a humanitarian catastrophe among refugees.
Harsh conditions
In Adré, 500 Sudanese families who sought refuge in the town three weeks ago are suffering from dire humanitarian conditions.
One of the leaders of the Adré camp told Radio Dabanga that the new refugees who came from the north of El Geneina recently are living in dire conditions due to the lack of shelter and food, living in the open. He pointed out that they do not receive food cards with no emergency relief having been distributed. He goes on to state that those in need have not eaten for three days, including children. As such, some refugees have begun to consider returning to their areas north of El Geneina despite the lack of security, he said. A Sudanese refugee was shot dead by gunmen last week in an area five kilometres south of Adré camp.
In El Acha camp, which is home to 57,000 Sudanese refugees and is 100 kilometres from Adré, refugees complain of security, health, and food problems.
One of the refugees told Radio Dabanga that families have not received food for three months, and that the food items partially received by the refugees included rice, salt, and that their needs were not sufficient. He warned of the lack of medicines and the lack of healthcare for children and the elderly.
He explained that 400 families, who recently arrived, live in the open because of the lack of adequate shelter and warned of the spread of diseases in the camp due to defecation in the open because toilets were not built in parts of the camp. The source also pointed to the deteriorating security situation in the camp and the continued attacks by residents riding motorbikes.
Water crisis
Sudanese refugees in the Gaga camp have been suffering from water supply disruptions for nearly a week. A refugee in the camp told Radio Dabanga that the water crisis was due to a malfunction in the water pumping taps. He pointed out that rising temperatures have led to a high demand for water sold through donkey-drawn carts.