The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has warned that Chad’s maternity care services in the east are overwhelmed due to a massive influx of refugees and returnees fleeing the civil war in neighboring Sudan. This surge is placing immense pressure on already strained resources in the eastern region.
Andrew Saberton, UNFPA Deputy Executive Director, stated that Chad is currently hosting over 1.3 million refugees and returnees, predominantly women and children. During a recent mission to eastern Chad, he visited refugee camps and health facilities in Abéché, Adré, and Wadi Fira. Saberton described clinics struggling to meet the escalating demand.
In the Iridimi refugee camp, midwives reported managing up to 300 births monthly with minimal equipment, scarce medicines, and almost no specialist support. Health workers also noted instances where women underwent emergency caesarean sections without adequate pain relief. “No woman should have to endure that,” Saberton emphasized.
Growing Risks for Women and Girls
The humanitarian crisis is exacerbated by increasing protection risks for women and girls. Many are compelled to travel greater distances from camps to gather firewood, exposing them to harassment, assault, and gender-based violence.
Despite these challenges, Saberton commended the local women’s centers supported by UNFPA, which offer psychosocial care, vocational training, and assistance to survivors of violence.
In Wadi Fira province, authorities reported over 333,000 refugees residing in approximately 81,000 households, with women and children constituting more than 75 percent of the population. Refugees continue to arrive from Sudan through various border entry points as insecurity and violence persist.
Funding Shortfalls Threaten Humanitarian Response
Saberton cautioned that recent funding cuts are jeopardizing life-saving services across Chad. UNFPA’s operations in the country face a 44 percent reduction in funding this year, and only 2.5 percent of the agency’s 2026 humanitarian appeal for Chad has been secured to date.
“The Government of Chad has shown extraordinary solidarity by keeping its borders open and sharing its already scarce resources with people fleeing violence,” Saberton remarked. “That solidarity must now be matched by international support.”
