UNITED NATIONS, June 27, (Xinhua/GNA) — Children and families who have arrived in Chad after fleeing the conflict in the neighboring Sudanese region of Darfur, now face new challenges as the host communities are already in a dire situation, said the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on Monday.
As of Friday, more than 140,000 Sudanese refugees and 34,000 Chadian returnees have crossed the border, over 90 percent of them women and children, said UNICEF. Thousands more are expected to arrive as violence escalates in Darfur, it said.
The refugees share stories of running away from burnt-down villages, civilians being attacked and killed, some as they try to make the crossing into Chad. Many are injured or have lost loved ones, and several children have lost track of their families while fleeing, said UNICEF. “The horror children and families are experiencing in Sudan is quickly spiraling into a serious crisis in Chad,” said Jacques Boyer, UNICEF representative in Chad, in a press release. “We are running out of resources to provide assistance to children and families arriving, while increasingly fearing that this humanitarian emergency could break a very fragile cohesion across borders.”
The majority of refugees arrive in Chad through 27 entry points along the border, in the provinces of Ouaddai, Sila and Wadi Fira. In these places, the levels of deprivation are among the highest in the country. Access to essential services such as water, shelter, health and education is extremely limited, and now communities are having additional pressure to share very scarce resources.
As trade with Sudan has been completely suspended, the prices of food and commodities have also gone up substantially, said UNICEF. As needs continue to increase, UNICEF and partners have reviewed initial planning from 100,000 to 310,000 refugees and returnees expected to arrive by December 2023. More than half have already fled from Sudan to Chad by mid-June, said the fund. As the rains start in Chad, access to the affected provinces will be significantly cut off, it warned. Therefore, an immediate scale-up of the response is urgently needed. Out of the 25 million U.S. dollars needed to respond to the crisis, UNICEF Chad has so far succeeded in mobilizing 10 percent, it said.
The UN Mission in Sudan, known as UNITAMS, is gravely concerned about violence in another area, the Kurmuk locality of the Blue Nile region, following attacks on Sunday and Monday, said Farhan Haq, the deputy spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Hundreds of civilians crossed into Ethiopia for safety. Others appear to be preparing to move toward Damazine, located to the South of Khartoum, the spokesman told a regular press briefing. He said the mission urges all parties involved to cease fighting immediately to protect the local population. The UN mission encourages all warring parties in the Blue Nile region, Khartoum, North and South Kordofan states, Darfur and elsewhere to resort to dialogue to resolve differences and to ensure dignity and respect for all Sudanese as equal citizens.
GNA