Press Release
October 23, 2023 • 2 min read
Eastern Chad is experiencing an unprecedented influx of refugees from Sudan, who are fleeing the intense civil war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, which broke out in April 2023.
The latest reports from OCHA (UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) show since the conflict erupted, 424,000 people have sought refuge in Chad, and it is predicted that 600,000 additional refugees will cross the border into Eastern Chad before the end of the year.
Speaking about the Department of Foreign Affairs/Irish Aid funding to GOAL to conduct a needs assessment and start emergency project implementation in Eastern Chad, in partnership with two Chad-based aid agencies, over the next three months, Georgina Jordan, GOAL’s Head of Emergency Response, said:
“Members of our ERU (Emergency Response Unit) travelled to Eastern Chad in early October and have been working with the aid agency, ALIMA, and their local partner, Alerte Santé, to identify the humanitarian needs of refugee and host populations, and the gaps within the current response. Leveraging this generous funding from Irish Aid, and in partnership with ALIMA and Alert Sante, we expect to reach approximately 4,000 children (from 0 months to five years) with free healthcare and approximately 700 severely acutely malnourished children aged six months to five years with lifesaving nutritional care.”
“This rapid influx of Sudanese refugees, into already displaced host communities has resulted in significant pressures on limited resources and aid, including food, shelter, water, and sanitation. So, GOAL is very pleased to now be able to assist the needs of these highly vulnerable people,” continued Georgina Jordan.
Chad is a landlocked country in sub-Saharan Africa with an estimated population of 17 million people. Chad is also among the world’s most vulnerable countries to climate change, suffering from a combination of insufficient rains and heavy flooding, coupled with intercommunal conflict and internal displacement. This deadly mix of forces has resulted in chronic food insecurity that is believed to be affecting 2.1 million people in the country.
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