Nearly 20,000 people – mainly traumatized women and children – have reached Chad in the past two weeks, according to the UN refugee agency, UNCHR.

“Most arrived in Chad with nothing – no food, money or identification,” said Magatte Guisse, UNHCR Representative in Chad. “Several wounded individuals, including children and elderly women, reportedly fell from vehicles during the chaotic escape.”

Chad is one of the poorest countries in the world and already hosts 1.3 million refugees.

This includes nearly 800,000 people from Sudan since war broke out between the Sudanese Armed Forces and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in April 2023, after a breakdown in transition to civilian rule.

Heavy fighting in Sudan has devastated much of the country, likely killed tens of thousands and displaced almost nine million people, UN agencies say.

No food, no money

In Chad, the Tine border crossing in Wadi Fira Province has seen the sharpest spike in new arrivals, with more than 6,000 people in just two days,

Sudanese refugees are exposed to robbery and extortion at checkpoints – and many have also witnessed men being killed, women and girls sexually abused, and homes burned to the ground.

The refugee agency reported that armed groups have extorted, robbed or sexually assaulted around 76 per cent of the newly arrived refugees.

A nation of 19 million people where resources are already strained, Chad is overstretched and needs “increased solidarity and immediate funding, to ensure these vulnerable populations receive the protection and assistance they need, now”.

Renewed attacks on Port Sudan

In a related development, a third day of drone strikes hit the international airport and a power station in Port Sudan, the UN’s humanitarian hub for coordinating aid operations across Sudan.

The city is the current seat of government and until this weekend had been largely spared from the violence that is ongoing in Khartoum, Darfur and elsewhere. Thousands of people fleeing the war have also sought shelter in Port Sudan.

“Port Sudan airport is a lifeline for humanitarian operations, serving as the primary entry point for aid personnel, medical supplies and other lifesaving relief that is coming into Sudan,” said Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN aid coordination office, OCHA. The airport is “immensely important”, he told journalists in Geneva.

According to reports, the Red Sea city suffered a complete power outage after drone strikes hit a large power station on Tuesday. Other strikes reportedly hit an army base in the city centre, a fuel depot and a hotel close to the airport, which is located near to the presidential palace.

These attacks have increased the “already severe” lack of aid access and delivery challenges facing humanitarian teams across the country, explained Mr. Laerke, adding that such violence is prohibited under international humanitarian law.

It is widely believed that the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces are responsible for the attacks. No UN facilities or operations have been impacted but UN Humanitarian Air Service flights in and out of the city have been paused.