🇸🇩 Over 55,000 Sudanese refugees have escaped into eastern Chad since January, fueled by ongoing violence and growing instability, according to the UNHCR. More than 400 people a day have crossed from Sudan into eastern Chad over the past week—a 20-fold increase from recent months—as fighting between Sudan’s army and the Rapid Support Forces intensifies across Darfur, Kordofan and Blue Nile, the UN refugee agency said.
UN Regional Refugee Coordinator Mamadou Dian Balde said arrivals describe fleeing “aerial bombardments” and “drone attacks.”
🔸 Balde also discussed the UNHCR’s funding shortfall, with the agency receiving only 18% of the $1.6 billion it needs this year. He noted that the change means “less food ... less capacity for people to be relocated to safer areas ... less capacity to shelter themselves.”
🔸 The UNHCR also warned that unmet needs in Chad could push more Sudanese refugees toward attempting dangerous onward journeys to Europe, as the more than three-year civil war has displaced up to 14 million people overall, with nearly 1 million refugees having crossed into Chad since the conflict began.