More than 400 people cross from Sudan into Chad each day

UNHCR says the help for refugees in Chad is not keeping up with what people need. Last week, more than 400 people a day crossed from Sudan into eastern Chad. That is about 20 times the daily number in recent months.

More than 55,000 Sudanese people have entered Chad so far in 2026. Almost one million have come since a war between Sudan’s army and the Rapid Support Forces began in April 2023. Many leave Darfur, Kordofan and Blue Nile to escape fighting, airstrikes and drone attacks. Drought and water shortages also add to the pressure to leave.

UNHCR has received less than one quarter of the $1.6 billion it needs this year to help refugees in the region. In Chad’s border areas, more than 190,000 refugees live in difficult conditions, and most get less than half the water they need each day. “It means less food,” said Mamadou Dian Balde, a UN leader who works with refugees from Sudan. He said there is also less money to move people to safer places or give them shelter.

UNHCR says people may travel on when they cannot meet basic needs. Its report says journeys towards Europe often follow repeated, failed efforts to find safety, the right to stay, and a future in the first countries where people seek help. This means help in Chad matters, because people who cannot get food, water and shelter may keep moving in search of safety.