After fleeing from conflict and ethnic attacks targeting them in Darfur, thousands of refugees escaping the area in western Sudan to Chad are struggling to find suitable shelter and basic supplies, as heavy rains and winds damage their temporary camps. United Nations estimates indicate that over 300,000 have fled from Darfur to Chad since April 15, when fighting broke out between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in the capital, Khartoum.
Islam, one of nearly 33,000 refugees residing in a camp in Ouaddaï, Chad, has requested shelter to protect her from the incessant rain while standing in front of the destroyed tents. With tears streaming down her face, she said, "Please provide us with shelter as soon as possible. This is humiliating. Everyone here has lost three or four people and has come without food or drink."
Some refugees are now living in cloth tents that have been ruined by the rain, while others huddle under blankets seeking warmth. Relief agencies operating in Chad are facing difficulties with the onset of the rainy season in providing assistance to refugees who arrive on foot or in donkey-drawn carts, as each wave of clashes drives more people to cross the border into Chad.
The Darfur Lawyers Association reported that "an attack on the town of Sarba in western Darfur led to the death of over 200 people and forced thousands to flee recently." Those who escaped from Darfur mentioned "a lack of food and disruption of electricity and water amid outbreaks of violence in residential areas." Mohamed Ibrahim told Reuters, "It was not safe to move and there was nothing to eat in the market. So we came with our children and found the road was worse."
