Fatna Hamid, a 44-year-old mother of five residing in Koufroune village in Chad, extended her home to more than 50 Sudanese refugees who fled conflict in their home country.
Among those who have found shelter in Hamid’s home was Fatime Adoum, a 30-year-old Sudanese refugee, along with her husband and five children, who said they have experienced violence in Darfur.
“We fled during the morning call to prayer after armed men killed people in the morning, and until afternoon, we stayed beside the market. There were some people staying outside, they found the thieves and caught them… weapons were there, after that we all felt scared. It was during Ramadan. We ate and drank water, and then with the Fajr Prayer, we started our fast and left home,” said Fatime.
Over 4 million people have been displaced due to ongoing conflicts in Sudan, leading to a surge of refugees across neighboring countries, according to the United Nations.
In Chad, the crisis has prompted over 320,000 refugees to seek sanctuary in the eastern regions of the country, and over 2,300 wounded refugees have arrived so far.
About 50 kilometers away from the border, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and partners have initiated emergency assistance and relocation of refugees to an existing refugee camp.
According to UNHCR, some 57 children, most of whom under 5 years old, have lost their lives to measles and malnutrition in Renk, South Sudan – with 15 of these deaths occurring only in the last week.