New refugees from Darfur face dire conditions in Chad

Refugees from West Darfur continue to flow into Chad, while refugees from Iridimi, Alacha, Adré, and Gaga camps report dire humanitarian conditions. There are days that more than 1,000 people cross the border to seek refuge in Adré. 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, said on his X account on May 5 that more than 1,000 people are crossing 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 El Tom told Radio Dabanga from Irdimi camp that the 3,000 refugees of 2023 organised a protest yesterday, in front of the headquarters supervising the refugees, demanding food, water, health, education, and security. 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.

The healthcare is weak in the camp with malnutrition diseases among children and chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, kidney failure, diabetes, and other diseases leading to deaths.

El Tom 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 Darfuri 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. They do not receive food cards with no emergency relief having been distributed. Those in need have not eaten for three days, including children.

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 about five kilometres south of Adré camp.

In the Alacha 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 them told Radio Dabanga that they have not received food for three months, and that the food items partially received by the refugees include rice and salt, which is not sufficient. There is a lack of medicines and the lack of healthcare for children and the elderly.

The source explained that 400 families, who recently arrived, are living 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 also pointed to the deteriorating security situation in the camp and the continued attacks by residents riding motorbikes.

Refugees in the Gaga camp have been suffering from water supply disruptions for nearly a week. A refugee said that the water crisis is due to a malfunction in the water pumping taps. The rising temperatures have led to a high demand for water sold through donkey-drawn carts.