Thousands of exhausted Sudanese refugees continue to flee the fight for the safety of their neighboring Chad, aid team said Tuesday as the third day of the drone strike was torn into the city of Port Sudan.
According to UNCHR, nearly 20,000 people have reached Chad in the past two weeks.
“Most of us didn’t arrive in Chad – there was no food, no money or ID,” said Magatte Guisse, UNHCR president in Chad. “Several injured people, including children and older women, reportedly fell from the vehicle during a chaotic escape.”
Chad is one of the poorest countries in the world and already hosts 1.3 million refugees.
This includes around 800,000 people from Sudan after the collapse of the transition to civilian rule as a war broke out between the Sudanese army and paramilitary swift support forces in April 2023.
The fierce battle in Sudan has devastated most of the country, killing tens of thousands and evacuating almost nine million people, the United Nations agency says.
No food or money
In Chad, the Tyne border intersection in Wadi Fila has seen the sharpest spikes with new arrivals in just two days with over 6,000 people.
Sudanese refugees are exposed to robberies and terrors at checkpoints – and many have witnessed men being killed, women and girls being sexually abused, and their homes being burned to the ground.
The refugee agency reported that armed groups forced, robbed or sexually assaulted about 76% of newly arrived refugees.
In a country of 19 million people whose resources are already strained, Chad has grown excessively, “which requires increased solidarity and immediate funding, ensuring these vulnerable people receive the protection and support they need now.”
Sign up for the AllAfrica newsletter for free
Get the latest African news
success!
Almost finished…
You need to check your email address.
Follow the instructions in the email you sent to complete the process.
error!
There was a problem processing the submission. Please try again later.
New Attack on Port Sudan
In the related development, a third day strike of Port Sudan’s international airport and vessels, the UN humanitarian hub for coordinating aid operations across Sudan, collided with international airports and vessels.
The city is the current government seat and was largely spared ongoing violence in Khartoum, Darfur and other places until this weekend. Thousands of people who fled the war are also seeking shelter in Port Sudan.
“Port Sudan Airport is a lifeline for humanitarian operations and serves as a major gateway for aid personnel, medical supplies and other life-saving relief in coming to Sudan,” said Jens Larke, spokesman for the UN Aid Coordination Agency. The airport is “very important,” he told a journalist in Geneva.
Reports say Red Sea City was hit by a complete blackout after a drone strike hit a massive power plant on Tuesday. Other strikes reportedly raided an army base in the city centre, a fuel reservoir and a hotel near the airport, near the Presidential Palace.
These attacks have increased the “already serious” aid access and delivery challenges facing humanitarian teams across the country, Laerke explained, adding that such violence is prohibited under international humanitarian law.
It is widely believed that paramilitary swift support forces are responsible for the attack. Although UN facilities and operations have not been affected, UN Humanitarian Air Service flights both inside and outside the city have been suspended.
