Commissioner Lahbib to visit Chad amid refugee crisis in neighbouring Sudan
European Commissioner Hadja Lahbib will visit Chad this week for a mission focused on the situation of Sudanese refugees, “the worst crisis of civilian protection the world has known for decades”, according to the United Nations.
Lahbib, who is in charge of EU humanitarian aid, will travel on Tuesday to Adré, on the border with Sudan, where thousands of refugees are fleeing the violence and instability of two years of civil war.
Nearly 1 million people have crossed the border, joining the 400,000 refugees who arrived during the Darfur crisis 20 years ago. Chad and Egypt are home to the largest populations of Sudanese refugees in the world.
"The Sudanese conflict is dangerously destabilising the region ... Women and children are paying a heavy price"
The EU says it is ready to continue providing support, through humanitarian aid and through its commitment to peace and stability in the region, while the US has frozen its development aid, suspending 92 per cent of funding.
“The Sudanese conflict is dangerously destabilising the region,” Lahbib, of Belgium's francophone liberal party MR, warned before her departure. “Women and children are paying a heavy price.”
Call for solidarity
In Chad, she will meet political authorities and humanitarian actors, accompanied by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi. She will also visit refugee camps.
Chad has opted for a policy of welcoming refugees, although fears of the Sudanese conflict spilling over are becoming more pressing.
Three weeks ago, the minister for Humanitarian Affairs, Zara Mahamat Issa, launched an appeal for international solidarity, saying: “Faced with a critical humanitarian situation, exacerbated by the influx of refugees and the reduction in funding, Chad needs your help.”
Woman prepare traditional Sudanese coffee at the Farchana camp in the Wadai region of Chad, August 2024 © MARTIN BERTRAND / HANS LUCAS VIA AFP
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