The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has invited its partners for assistance in helping approximately 185,000 Sudanese in Chad and those trying to avoid the fatal borders, particularly in the Adre border town.
The UNHCR Representative in Chad, Laura Lo Castro, said that the rains have started as expected in Adre which puts tens of thousands of Sudanese refugees in a vulnerable situation of not having adequate shelter. The rains also hindered the delivery of aid because of the floods, she also said.
“It’s paramount that we scale up the response now and immediately relocate as many refugees as possible to safer areas away from the border and assist those we will not be able to move,” Ms Castro advised.
Currently, UNHCR and other partners are in the process of building a settlement for the refugees where protection and assistance shall be provided and more funds of $17 million are needed to relocate and resettle 50,000 refugees to that particular place.
According to the UNHCR, around 600,000 Sudanese civilians have been displaced and crossed into Chad between April 2023 due to the conflict.
Initially, according to the agency, the people resided in “overcrowded, spontaneous sites along the border, where they sleep in makeshift shelters.”
The new arrivals, which are usually women and children, arrive in poor health, and often they come with only the clothes they wear, they are traumatized and are escapees from physical or gender-based violence.
The UNHCR claimed these refugees need “essential protection services and life-saving assistance, including mental health and psychosocial support, shelter, food, water, sanitation, and health services.”
UNHCR and their partners are in the process of establishing five new refugee settlements and expanding ten others, which currently accommodate over 336,000 Sudanese refugees.
The agency is also involved in providing emergency assistance for the displaced population on behalf of the government.
The government and its partners, through the agency, have been struggling and having to work with meagre resources in an attempt to meet the needs of the Sudanese and prevent the situation from getting worse.
They stated that they have moved stocks and funds to reduce coverage and, hence, lower quality in all settlements.
However, they still require 630. 2 Million dollars to attend to the needs of the Sudanese civilians who have sought refuge in neighbouring countries, with only 6% of this readily available.
“Families who have crossed the border into Chad have lost everything,” Ms. Castro said, highlighting that they depend on relief aid to cover their most basic needs.
The UNHCR urgently calls on the generosity of donors to suit the demands of the most critical gaps to protect and save lives.
