Chad-Sudan border at breaking point as refugees arrive in record numbers

N'Djamena, Chad, May 2026 — The Chad-Sudan border is at a breaking point, with refugees arriving in record numbers as violence continues to escalate across western Sudan. In the last 30 days alone, 47,000 people have crossed into Chad, overwhelming humanitarian facilities and stretching already-thin resources to the limit.

Humanitarian organizations on the ground are sounding the alarm. Health centers are critically under-resourced, and more than 100,000 children are now facing severe acute malnutrition — a condition that can be fatal without immediate treatment. The scale and speed of the displacement is unprecedented even for a region accustomed to crisis.

An unfolding catastrophe

The ongoing conflict in Sudan has created one of the world's largest and most complex humanitarian emergencies. Since the outbreak of fighting in April 2023, millions have been displaced — both within Sudan and across its borders into Chad, South Sudan, Ethiopia, and beyond.

Chad, already one of the poorest countries in the world, is struggling to cope. Refugee camps that were designed to hold a fraction of the current population are now vastly overcrowded. Access to clean water, sanitation, and shelter is severely limited. Food is scarce, and what little is available is being rationed.

Children in mortal danger

Children are paying the highest price. More than 100,000 children in the border regions of Chad are now suffering from severe acute malnutrition — a condition that causes wasting, weakens the immune system, and can be fatal without urgent therapeutic feeding.

Health centers that HopeAid supports are overwhelmed. Medical staff are working around the clock, often without adequate supplies or protection. Disease outbreaks — including cholera and measles — are a constant threat in the crowded camp settings where thousands of families are sheltering.

"We are running out of time. Every day without adequate funding means more children will die from conditions we know how to treat."

HopeAid's life-saving work

HopeAid has been operating along the Chad-Sudan border since the beginning of the crisis. Our teams provide emergency health care, nutrition programs, clean water, shelter, and protection services to tens of thousands of refugees and displaced families.

In the past month alone, HopeAid has:

• Distributed therapeutic food to 25,000 severely malnourished children
• Operated 12 mobile health clinics along the border, conducting over 8,000 consultations
• Provided emergency shelter materials to 15,000 newly arrived families
• Delivered clean water to over 50,000 people through trucking and well rehabilitation
• Established child protection services to identify and support unaccompanied minors

Despite these efforts, the needs far outstrip available resources. Humanitarian funding for the Sudan response remains critically low, and without an urgent scale-up of international support, the situation will continue to deteriorate.

How you can help

The Chad-Sudan border crisis is a humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in real time. Families have lost everything — their homes, their livelihoods, and in many cases, their loved ones. They need food, water, medical care, and safety — now.

Your donation can help HopeAid reach more families with life-saving assistance. Please give generously and help us prevent this crisis from becoming even deadlier.

Tags: Crisis Update Chad HopeAid Field Stories