More than 1.3 million Sudanese refugees in Chad face severe cuts to life-saving aid programs unless international donors address a $428 million funding gap, UN agencies warned this week. The crisis comes three years after conflict erupted in Sudan in April 2023, forcing mass displacement across the region.
The World Food Programme (WFP) and UNHCR report that current resources cover less than half of refugees' basic needs. Water shortages in eastern Chad have left families surviving on less than half the minimum daily requirement, while overcrowded classrooms and insufficient shelters compound the humanitarian emergency.
"With less than half the resources we require, we cannot deliver sufficient food to the people who need it most," said WFP Chad Country Director Sarah Gordon-Gibson. The Norwegian Refugee Council reports 70% of refugee families have already reduced meals due to food shortages.
UNHCR currently assists only 40% of refugees, leaving hundreds of thousands without proper shelter. Aid organizations warn that further funding delays could force vulnerable populations into dangerous survival strategies.
