Chad is hosting hundreds of thousands of refugees who have fled the brutal conflict in Sudan. Most have arrived traumatised, malnourished and in urgent need of support.
NRC in Chad
From a base near the main crossing point from West Darfur, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is providing protection and assistance in refugee camps and host communities across eastern Chad. Our teams are helping people access education, legal assistance, shelter, clean water and opportunities to rebuild their lives.
What’s happening in Chad?
Since the outbreak of conflict in Sudan in April 2023, over 720,000 refugees and 220,000 returnees have crossed into eastern Chad – with thousands more arriving every week. Most are women and children, exhausted from their journeys and in desperate need of food, water and protection.
Chad ranks as the number one country affected by the Sudanese crisis. Within Chad, the regions of Ouaddaï and Wadi Fira host the largest number of people affected by displacement. The sudden influx has placed enormous strain on already vulnerable host communities, leaving many families struggling to survive. Social services are overstretched, livelihoods are under pressure and tensions are rising over limited resources such as water and agricultural land.
Despite the efforts of Chad’s authorities and humanitarian partners, the response is critically underfunded and lacks global attention. As the conflict in Sudan shows no sign of ending, the number of people seeking refuge in Chad is expected to rise even further.
Region: Central Africa
Population: 18.8 million
Total displaced: 0.5 million
Refugees hosted: 1.1 million
From a base near the main crossing point from West Darfur, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is providing protection and assistance in refugee camps and host communities across eastern Chad. Our teams are helping people access education, legal assistance, shelter, clean water and opportunities to rebuild their lives.
What’s happening in Chad?
Since the outbreak of conflict in Sudan in April 2023, over 720,000 refugees and 220,000 returnees have crossed into eastern Chad – with thousands more arriving every week. Most are women and children, exhausted from their journeys and in desperate need of food, water and protection.
Chad ranks as the number one country affected by the Sudanese crisis. Within Chad, the regions of Ouaddaï and Wadi Fira host the largest number of people affected by displacement. The sudden influx has placed enormous strain on already vulnerable host communities, leaving many families struggling to survive. Social services are overstretched, livelihoods are under pressure and tensions are rising over limited resources such as water and agricultural land.
Despite the efforts of Chad’s authorities and humanitarian partners, the response is critically underfunded and lacks global attention. As the conflict in Sudan shows no sign of ending, the number of people seeking refuge in Chad is expected to rise even further.
Our response
We’re working with our partners in the following areas:
- Water, sanitation and hygiene – building latrines, showers, and handwashing stations, and ensuring access to safe drinking water in camps and schools.
- Shelter and settlements – constructing durable schools, vocational training centres and emergency shelters using local materials.
- Livelihoods and food security – providing training, supporting small business initiatives and launching pilot projects to create jobs for displaced populations and host communities.
- Education – building classrooms, training teachers and providing learning materials to improve access to education in safe, supportive environments.
- Information, counselling and legal assistance – helping people obtain legal identity documents to access basic services and reduce the risk of exploitation.
Our operations
NRC office established: 2023
Areas of operation: Adré (operational base), Wadi Fira, N’Djamena
Country Director: Dermot Hegarty
Contact: dermot.hegarty@nrc.no
Our impact
In 2024, we assisted 26,672 people through our programmes in Chad:
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11,118Education
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300Livelihoods and food security
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3,556Shelter and settlements
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8,818Information, counselling and legal assistance
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2,880Water, sanitation and hygiene
Note: some people received more than one type of assistance.
