Sawt Falasteen - Spiralling Sudan bloodshed sparks refugee surge into Chad

Mamadou Dian Balde, the UN's Sudan regional refugee coordinator, told AFP that the three-million mark will likely be crossed in the next two to three weeks.

That the figure is approaching three million is a "disaster" directly linked to the increasing brutality of the conflict, he said in an interview on Tuesday during his visit to Geneva this week.

War has raged since April 2023 between the Sudanese army under the country's de facto ruler Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, led by his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo.

Both sides have been accused of war crimes, including targeting civilians and blocking humanitarian aid.

The conflict has left tens of thousands dead and some 26 million people facing severe food insecurity, with famine declared in the Zamzam displacement camp in Sudan's western Darfur region.

Some 11.3 million people have been forced to flee, including nearly 2.95 million who have fled across the country's borders, according to the latest figures from UNHCR, the UN refugee agency.

- Strain on Chad -

In a sign of the worsening conflict in Darfur, some 25,000 people -- 80 percent of whom were women and children -- crossed into eastern Chad in the first week of October, a record number for a single week in 2024.

And more than 20,270 crossed into Chad in the whole of September.

Chad is host to 681,944 Sudanese refugees -- more than any other country.

However, it is also one of the poorest countries on Earth and is lacking the basic services to accommodate such numbers, said Balde, while highlighting the generosity shown by Chadians towards their fleeing neighbours.

"When we see 25,000 arriving, it's enormous," he said.

He called for greater support from international donors.

A UN appeal for $1.51 billion to support Sudanese refugees and their hosts in the region through the end of the year remains just 27-percent funded.

"It's not enough, because the number of refugees continues to grow," said Balde, who also serves as the UNHCR's East and Horn of Africa and Great Lakes regional director.

Balde said he expected "very unfortunately, in the coming weeks, to have many more refugees in Chad", due to both the conflict intensifying in Darfur and the drop in water levels as the rainy season ends.

- Aid still limited -

With the drier conditions, the UN hopes to be able to deliver more aid to Sudan -- if the parties to the conflict allow it.

Several rounds of negotiation efforts have so far failed to end the fighting.

In late August, following talks outside Geneva convened by the United States, the two factions committed to ensuring safe and unhindered access for humanitarians along two key corridors.

"This has helped us save lives," but "not all the commitments made have been respected" -- and the flow of aid remains "limited", said Balde, deploring the persistent "barriers at the administrative level".

In Geneva for the UNHCR's annual executive committee meeting, he chaired a discussion on Sudan, during which he asked for support to help Sudanese refugees get into the jobs market and thereby reducing their reliance on humanitarian assistance.

"We are asking development actors to mobilise to complement" such aid, he explained, while stressing the need for peace in Sudan.

Balde warned it would be "a big mistake" to think the flow of displaced people will be limited to Sudan and the wider region.

"There are more and more who are coming towards Italy, Europe and southern Africa", and "there are some who will go towards the Gulf countries too", he said.

Z.AbuSaud--SF-PST