Over 757,000 Sudanese and Chadians have fled Darfur and sought refuge in eastern Chad. With 45.4% of Sudanese refugees and thousands of new arrivals every week, Chad has been significantly impacted by the crisis in Sudan. These refugees live in both formal and informal camps across 11 health districts in Ennedi East, Ouaddaï, Sila, and Wadi Fira provinces.
In these camps, access to essential health services is disrupted due to difficult physical access, limited human and material resources, and an inability to pay for healthcare. The situation has been made worse by epidemics of dengue fever, measles, and hepatitis E. A total of 6,820 people have been injured and treated with the support of MSF-F, PUI, the ICRC, and an international emergency team deployed by the WHO.
Recent fighting reports suggest that there may be new arrivals at entry points like Tiné and Birak in Wadi Fira province as conflict continues in Sudan. With the rainy season approaching in less than three months’ time, the health situation is a major cause for concern due to torrential rains (Ouadi), which make it difficult to move temporary waterways. The WHO will no longer have access to certain sites to provide a coordinated health response to public health events that may occur during this period.
Pre-positioning of health kits including cholera kits will take place before the rains arrive in these areas to help address the challenges faced by healthcare workers on the ground.
