Chad - Humanitarian situation in the East, as of February 2024

Overview

The humanitarian situation in eastern Chad at the end of January continued to be characterised by a massive influx of 553,150 new Sudanese refugees fleeing violence in Sudan, distributed in the provinces of Ouaddaï (over 380,000 refugees), Sila (over 92,000 refugees), Wadi-Fira (over 73,000 refugees) and Ennedi-Est (over 7,000 refugees). It should be noted that among these new arrivals, 139,932 Chadian returnees have already been registered.

The current situation, combined with a poor agricultural season in 2023 and the low level of development of basic infrastructure and social services, exacerbates vulnerabilities and leads to residual humanitarian needs. According to the findings of the November 2023 Harmonised Framework, nearly 660,576 people are currently severely food insecure in the Eastern and Northeastern provinces, and this number could increase during the next lean season if emergency assistance and livelihood support are not provided quickly. Less than 50% of the population in the eastern provinces have access to water and only 33% of health facilities have a functional drinking water point (Atlas Tchad - UNICEF - 2017 - 2021), while the rate of open defecation is over 80%.

Poor access to health services often leads to a worsening health situation. Malaria and ARI (acute respiratory infection) remain the most common diseases. Eastern Chad also faces the phenomenon of house and field fires during the dry season, which have a greater impact on household food security.