Since the start of the conflict in Sudan, about 547,000 new refugees have arrived in Chad, in addition to those already present (Reuters)

Chad declared a "food emergency" throughout its territory, according to a decree issued on Friday, with the influx of more than half a million refugees in 10 months fleeing the war in Sudan.

The decree - issued by interim President Mohamed Idriss Deby - did not include details about emergency procedures nor the number of people involved, but the United Nations World Food Program warned last November of an “imminent cessation” of its aid to confront the influx of Sudanese refugees if it did not receive funds. necessary international.

The World Food Program provides food assistance to about 1.4 million people in Chad, which is the number of displaced people and refugees in the semi-desert country in Central Africa, due to ongoing conflicts locally as well as regionally in Sudan, the Central African Republic, Niger, Nigeria, Libya and Cameroon.

Since the beginning of the confrontations in Sudan on April 15, 2023 between the army led by the President of the Sovereignty Council, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti), about 547,000 new refugees have arrived in Chad, according to the latest figures issued by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Affairs. Refugees in early February.

Chad hosts the largest number of Sudanese refugees, most of whom fled Darfur since the start of the civil war in 2003 in the region located east of Sudan. It was receiving more than 400,000 refugees before the new conflict.

In total, this country - which the United Nations classifies as the second least developed country in the world - must deal with more than 1,570,000 “people in forced displacement,” including more than 1.1 million refugees. The others are internally displaced due to a rebellion waged by armed groups against the military junta led by General Déby.

The United Nations had previously said that the World Food Program would be forced to suspend its aid to displaced persons and refugees from Nigeria, the Central African Republic and Cameroon, due to insufficient funding. As of January 2024, this suspension will be extended to include, in particular, new refugees from Sudan who will not have access to food.

She added that “to ensure continued support for the population affected by the crisis in Chad over the next six months,” there is an “emergency need for $185 million.”

Source: French