UNHCR: 239,000 Sudanese refugees stranded on Chad border

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) warned Tuesday that approximately 239,000 Sudanese refugees remain stranded on the Sudan-Chad border, facing the risks of extreme weather fluctuations and insecurity.

In a briefing from the Chadian-Sudanese border to journalists in Geneva, UNHCR Principal Situation Coordinator in Chad, Dossou Patrice Ahouansou, said that the number of refugees arriving from Sudan into Chad has significantly increased since the intensification of attacks on civilians in North Darfur in late April.

“Nearly 69,000 people have arrived in Chad in just over a month, and an average of 1,400 people have crossed the border daily in recent days” he said, adding that these civilians “are fleeing under fire, moving through armed checkpoints, extortion, and strict restrictions imposed by armed groups”.

According to the UN official, nearly 72 per cent of refugees recently interviewed by UNHCR reported experiencing serious human rights violations, including physical and sexual violence, arbitrary detention, and forced recruitment. Sixty per cent of them said they had been separated from family members.

Since the war began in Sudan in April 2023, more than 844,000 Sudanese refugees have crossed into Chad, which already hosts nearly 409,000 Sudanese fleeing previous waves of conflict in Darfur since 2003, according to UNHCR.

According to UNHCR, four million people have fled Sudan to neighbouring countries since the war began, marking “a catastrophic turning point in the world’s largest displacement crisis”.