Sudan’s War Drives Nearly One Million People into Chad Amidst Humanitarian Crisis

Despite experiencing one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises, aid remains underfunded in Sudan, leaving millions without essential protection, education, and basic services, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) and 22 other humanitarian organisations said in a joint statement shared on Wednesday, Jan. 29.

Since April 2023, over 720,000 Sudanese refugees and more than 220,000 Chadian returnees have crossed the border into Chad, escaping a war that has devastated Sudan and subjected civilians to unimaginable suffering. According to international aid organisations, nine out of ten of those displaced are women and children, many of whom have endured torture, sexual violence, and other forms of abuse during their journey to safety. 

Despite Chad’s willingness to host them, the organisations warn that the overwhelming number of arrivals has outpaced available humanitarian assistance, leaving them vulnerable to hunger, insecurity, and trauma.

Among those who fled is Nima, a mother of three from Darfur, who walked for five days to reach Chad after her husband was shot during an attack in Al-Fashir. “When we finally arrived in Chad, I was very happy and relieved. For a second, I forgot the fear,” she was quoted in the NRC statement. 

But that relief was short-lived. Nima’s six-year-old daughter wakes up screaming in the middle of the night, haunted by memories of the violence they escaped. “She yells, ‘Mommy, they are coming to kill us. We have to run.’ I try to calm them down, but it’s not easy to make them feel safe when I do not feel safe,” Nima said. 

Her story is one of thousands. According to the NRC’s joint statement, more than two-thirds of refugees arriving in Chad have reported experiencing violence, with one-third subjected to physical assault. A United Nations fact-finding mission in October 2024 documented widespread sexual violence committed by armed groups in Sudan, further emphasising the extent of suffering these refugees have endured.

Despite the situation’s urgency, the humanitarian response in Chad remains dangerously underfunded. In 2024, only 30 per cent of the Refugee Response Plan in Chad was financed, leaving critical sectors like protection and education woefully neglected. 

This was despite global pledges of support in Paris last year. Food assistance, which is the backbone of any emergency response, has fallen drastically short of meeting daily caloric needs, leaving many refugees on the brink of starvation, forcing humanitarian organisations in September and November to call the world’s attention to the emergency continuously 

“The world’s largest humanitarian crisis doesn’t stop at Sudan’s borders,” said Amadou Bocoum, Country Director of CARE in Chad, in the joint statement. “Despite acute challenges of its own, Chad has welcomed refugees and guaranteed their right to asylum, which is remarkable. The international community must match such a level of compassion and solidarity by urgently ramping up its efforts to properly and adequately assist those who have survived.”

With millions at risk, humanitarian organisations are calling for a more robust regional funding mechanism to ensure Sudan’s neighbouring countries are not left scrambling for resources. The 2025 Humanitarian Response Plan for Chad has identified 7.8 million people needing assistance and requires $1.5 billion in funding—an increase from $1.1 billion in 2024. However, given past trends, there is concern that these funds may not materialise in time.

One of the most critical gaps in the response is education. In some provinces in eastern Chad, more than 80 per cent of children—whether refugees, returnees, or from host communities—did not attend school in 2024. An assessment conducted by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and NRC in Wadi Fira in November 2024 revealed a dramatic lack of school infrastructure and a severe shortage of teachers.

“We saw great demand from parents and a real motivation on the part of the children to join the temporary schools built in the displacement camps,” said Mastam Degolmal, NRC’s Education Coordinator in Adré, in the joint statement. “Going back to school is ‘make-or-break’ for the children’s present and future. Despite forced displacement, the horrors experienced, and the lingering trauma, education is the most powerful way to reintroduce a reassuring routine in their lives and rebuild hope.”

The numbers paint a grim picture: 135,053 children did not receive school kits, 2,401 teachers were not recruited, and 58,544 individuals did not have access to mental health support in 2024, according to Chad’s coordination platform for the emergency response. In Wadi Fira’s Dar Tama department, just 10 permanent teachers were available for 71 schools, according to the UNHCR and NRC assessment. The lack of access to education has also driven an increase in child labour among displaced communities, further exacerbating vulnerabilities.

The war in Sudan has pushed Chad, one of the world’s poorest countries, to the edge. Hosting nearly a third of all newly displaced Sudanese refugees in 2024, Chad is now at the epicentre of the largest displacement crisis globally. Yet, the international response has been slow and inadequate.

Several humanitarian groups report that over three-quarters of Sudanese refugees in Chad rely entirely on food assistance, but less than 8 per cent of families receive enough to meet their daily needs. Protection gaps are even more alarming, with general protection programming achieving only 7 per cent of its targets, child protection at 9 per cent, and gender-based violence (GBV) support at just 14 per cent. This lack of aid exposes displaced women and children to further harm.

Without immediate intervention, humanitarian organisations in the region said the crisis in Chad would deepen, with devastating consequences for the nearly one million displaced Sudanese and Chadian returnees who have sought safety within its borders.

Alix Camus, President of the INGO Forum and Country Director of Acted, urged the international community to step up. “Most refugees cross the border with nothing but the clothes on their backs, and an abundance of harrowing stories. Many have to cope with a great deal of trauma which can, and should, be addressed with a bigger focus on child protection, education, mental health as well as treatment and prevention of sexual and gender-based violence,” Camus said.