Chad: Nearly 1 million people fled from Sudan - Press Conference | United Nations

Press conference by Andrew Saberton, UNFPA's (United Nations Population Fund) Deputy Executive Director for Management. He briefed reporters on his recent mission to Chad and the situation for women and girls in the country. Eastern Chad is facing a rapidly escalating humanitarian crisis as 927,452 refugees have crossed into Chad since the outbreak of conflict in Sudan in April 2023, bringing the number of displaced people in Chad to approximately 1.3 million. Women and children make up 75 percent of the refugee population, underscoring the deeply gendered impact of the humanitarian crisis. Among the displaced are approximately 68,880 pregnant women, while more than 91,000 babies are expected to be born in refugee camps over the next year. Chad already records one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world—860 deaths per 100,000 live births—and the current influx is pushing an already fragile and overstretched health system to its limits. Overcrowded camps and limited healthcare are sharply increasing risks for women and newborns, turning every delivery into a potentially life-threatening event. During a seven-day high-level mission to Chad, UNFPA Deputy Executive Director for Management Andrew Saberton travelled to: the capital N’djamena, as well as Abeche and Adre in eastern Chad; and to Idrimi Refugee Camp in Iriba, to witness the scale of the emergency firsthand. UNFPA teams are on the ground supporting the Government of Chad to strengthen emergency reproductive health services; deploy mobile clinics and set up safe spaces for survivors of gender-based violence. However, operations are increasingly constrained by a mammoth funding gap for UNFPA’s humanitarian response with just 2.5 percent of UNFPA’s Chad programmes funded. This represents a 44 percent drop on our poor funding in 2025. Despite its own severe economic and humanitarian pressures, Chad continues to keep its borders open to people fleeing violence. UNFPA expressed deep appreciation for the Government of Chad and existing donors supporting the response, while warning that current resources remain far below what is needed. UNFPA calls on the international community to sustain and scale up support and ensure that the needs and dignity of women and girls remain at the centre of the humanitarian response.


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