Rains Compound Misery of Darfur Refugees in Chad

Since fighting started in Sudan, according to UN estimates, more than 300,000 people have fled to Chad from Darfur.

As heavy rain and wind batter makeshift camps, thousands of refugees fleeing fighting and ethnically targeted attacks in Sudan’s western region of Darfur are struggling to find the most basic shelter and supplies.

Since April 15, when fighting between the army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces broke out in Khartoum, the UN estimates that more than 300,000 people have fled from Darfur to Chad.

The rain has added to the plight of Darfur refugees in Chad – they are drenched!

As they stood in front of collapsed tents, Islam, one of the 33,000 refugees in the camp in Chad’s Ourang, begged for protection from the rain.

Please get us a shelter as soon as you can. This is embarrassing. Anyone in this place who has lost three or four people and arrived here without any food or drink is a loser.

Now, some people stay in flimsy tarp tents that the rain has made easily collapse, while others wrap themselves in blankets to stay warm.

As the rainy season approaches, it becomes more difficult for aid organizations working in Chad to provide for refugees who are arriving on foot or in donkey carts, and each flare-up of fighting encourages more to cross the border.

According to the Darfur Bar Association, a recent attack on the West Darfur town of Sirba resulted in more than 200 fatalities and thousands of evacuees.

In addition to the violence in residential areas, those who fled Darfur reported shortages of food, electricity, and water.

There was nothing to eat in the market, and it was unsafe to move around. Therefore, when we arrived here with our children, we discovered that the road is worse, Mohamed Ibrahim said.