Anxiety surrounds the 700,000 Sudanese refugees who fled to Chad to escape violence between the Sudanese army and paramilitary forces. With the hope of returning home, they find themselves in a dead end, uncertain about their future.
For refugees like Ousmane Taher, returning safely to their country is a pious wish. “In Sudan, there is a problem. No security, no stability. We came here as refugees in Chad and we want to go back home, check our homes and stay here. That is our problem. Without security, it is difficult. We have children, a family and since security is not guaranteed, we will stay here until we return to our country, inshallah,” he says.
Aid agencies fear they will not have enough resources to support these refugees in Chad and are calling for more funding. “What worries me the most is the lack of funds. If we don’t have enough funding and the influx of Sudanese people increases here in Chad, adding further pressure to the already tense situation, it could lead to famine,” says Ramazani Karabaye, head of operations for the World Food Programme in Adré.
Fleur Pialoux, project coordinator for Médecins Sans Frontières, fears that the situation will not improve anytime soon. “We know that the population here depends almost entirely on food aid and that is not something sustainable. Since the conflict is not improving on the other side, and is even getting worse as we speak, we unfortunately expect people to stay here for some time,” she explains.
The health centre run by Médecins Sans Frontières in a displacement site in Chad has recorded several child deaths this year due to malnutrition, illustrating the ongoing humanitarian crisis.
The images of Sudanese refugees in Chad are a testament to their desperation and vulnerability. Their future remains uncertain, their fate hanging by a thread as they wait for better days. Let us hope that the international community will be able to answer this call for help and provide much-needed support to alleviate the suffering of these refugees who have been ravaged by conflict.