Three Sudanese refugees were injured when unknown gunmen opened fire inside the Maji camp market, 60 kilometres from Adre in eastern Chad. Witnesses told that the assailants stormed a shop and began shooting indiscriminately, leaving the victims with varying degrees of injuries.
The attackers quickly fled, disappearing into the surrounding terrain. Their identities remain unknown, and their motives have not yet been established. The assault comes amid rising unease across refugee camps in eastern Chad, where complaints of worsening insecurity and chronic food shortages grow louder.
Since Sudan’s war erupted in April 2023, Chad has become an unintended refuge, absorbing over one million Sudanese in desperate flight from violence. The United Nations notes Chad already carried the weight of some 409,000 Sudanese displaced since 2003, mostly victims of Darfur’s long conflict.
The sudden influx has strained fragile resources, leaving camps increasingly vulnerable to lawlessness, where fear and deprivation now stalk daily survival. For the refugees, hope collides with harsh reality: safety remains uncertain, food is scarce, and even sanctuary can be pierced by gunfire.
