Sudan’s crisis could spillover into Chad, warns UN
Sudan’s draconian civil war has caused a humanitarian catastrophe that sent shockwaves across the region. Now, as refugees continue to flood to neighboring Chad, the crisis threatens to spill over.
The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) posted on X on June 10: “Chad is hosting over 2 million forcibly displaced people, including 850,000+ Sudanese refugees… national capacities are stretched to the limit. Urgent international support is needed to protect lives,” reports Africa News.
Two years ago, in April 2023, Sudan was thrown into disarray when its army, the SAF, and a paramilitary group called the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) began a vicious struggle for power. The protracted conflict continues to this day and has claimed more than 150,000 lives–a low estimate in many regards. Faced with atrocious human rights violations, the displacement of over 12 million people, crippling famine, and recently, a cholera outbreak, the United Nations has deemed the conflict the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
Despite the scale of the disaster, Sudan struggles to capture significant and sustained international attention.
The world’s indifference, warns UN Special Representative for Central Africa, Abdou Abarry, “risks exacerbating the humanitarian situation, especially as the ongoing conflict in Sudan continues to result in an increasing number of refugees heading to Chad,” he said.
Crisis Group expert Charles Bouëssel explains: “The surge in the number of inhabitants has driven up demand for housing and staples such as cooking oil. It has also sharpened competition for access to scarce resources like firewood and water.”
The conflict has also kindled a “sprawling illicit economy in Ouaddaï”, an impoverished desert province in eastern Chad where the bulk of Sudan’s refugees is concentrated. Traffickers are prolific, selling goods and supplies looted by fighters in Sudan including vehicles and fuel.
Eighty-nine percent of the newcomers from Sudan are women and children, says Bouëssel. “Food aid, whether in cash or kind, lasts only two to three weeks per month, forcing families to skip meals, beg on the streets, or sell the few belongings they managed to carry with them from Sudan.”
Speaking at the UN Security Council, Abarry said that, under the UN system, Chad was trying to provide additional emergency humanitarian assistance and stabilization programs at several locations. However, crime is rising, and resources are dwindling: in some cases, many people in Ouaddaï receive just 6l of water a day, far below the WHO’s minimum recommendation of 20l.
On June 10, the WFP Country Director in Sudan urged the international community to “act now by stepping up funding,” referencing a $500 million shortfall to support emergency food and cash assistance for the coming six months.
While Chadian authorities have taken several commendable steps, including starting infrastructure projects and making cash transfers to vulnerable households, without increased humanitarian aid, Sudan’s humanitarian plight threatens to metastasize across the region.
Africa News/ Maghrebi
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