The United Nations refugee agency reported Friday that 71% of people fleeing Sudan to Chad have endured severe human rights violations.
Dominique Hyde, UNHCR’s director of external relations, called the journey “dangerous and inhumane,” highlighting the harrowing trauma faced by refugees.
Speaking at a UN briefing in Geneva, she emphasized that abuses against Sudanese refugees are “not rare.”
According to Hyde, many of the 700,000 Sudanese refugees arriving in Chad since April 2023 are still reeling from the horror.
Families, mostly women and children, fled with their lives, but live in persistent fear despite finding relative safety.
Hyde described Chad as “a sanctuary, a lifeline” for refugees, marking the largest influx in Chad’s history.
The recent arrivals bring the total Sudanese refugee population in Chad to 1.1 million, including 400,000 already living in protracted conditions.
October saw an intense wave of 60,000 refugees crossing into Chad following escalated violence in Darfur and receding floodwaters.
Hyde noted civilians are “paying the highest price,” with reports of atrocities including looted homes, killed civilians, and brutal assaults.
Testimonies from survivors recount ethnic targeting, with men and boys killed and bodies burned, while women suffered horrific abuses during escape attempts.
Hyde expressed deep dismay over the “impunity and lack of action” that has scarred lives and shattered communities.
Since April, the conflict between General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan’s army and the rival Rapid Support Forces has claimed over 20,000 lives, displacing nearly 10 million.
Amid food shortages and spreading violence across 13 of Sudan’s 18 states, UN officials urge an immediate end to the conflict.
