The European Commission has formally announced a substantial allocation of €282.5 million in humanitarian aid to address the urgent needs of vulnerable populations in Chad, Sudan, and neighbouring countries. Commissioner Hadja Lahbib, responsible for Equality, Preparedness, and Crisis Management, is visiting Chad to assess several EU-funded projects, including initiatives on supporting Sudanese refugees.
In Chad, €74.5 million will be dedicated to responding to the crisis of forced displacement in the Lake Chad province, as well as to the influx of Sudanese refugees and returnees in the eastern region of the country. This funding will facilitate a comprehensive response that includes food and nutrition assistance, protection for vulnerable individuals and families, healthcare provisions, essential medicines, water and sanitation services, shelter for displaced populations, education, and multisectoral rapid response efforts.
Chad is grappling with multiple humanitarian crises, both natural and manmade, with an estimated 7 million individuals projected to require humanitarian assistance by 2025. The situation is further exacerbated by a prolonged crisis in the Lake Province, severe food insecurity, and a significant increase in refugees and returning Chadians from Sudan.
Before the outbreak of armed conflict in Sudan in April 2023, Chad already hosted one of the largest refugee populations in the region. With nearly 1 million new arrivals, the total number of forcibly displaced individuals in Chad now exceeds 1.3 million, which includes over 1.1 million Sudanese refugees, as well as refugees from the Central African Republic, Nigeria, Cameroon, and 220,000 returning Chadians.
In Sudan, €160 million will be allocated to support regions most affected by conflict, with a particular emphasis on areas experiencing famine and severe food insecurity that are also hosting large populations of forcibly displaced individuals. This funding will address food insecurity through cash assistance, healthcare and nutrition services, as well as support for water, sanitation, shelter, protection, and education.
Furthermore, an additional €48 million will be directed towards aiding refugees, returnees, and host communities in South Sudan, Ethiopia, Egypt, and Libya in response to the spillover effects of the ongoing crisis in Sudan, where nearly 4 million individuals have sought refuge.
This crisis in Sudan has resulted in over 15 million forcibly displaced individuals, making it the largest displacement crisis globally, significantly impacting neighbouring countries that have already received more than 3.7 million displaced persons.
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) projected in December that by May 2025, 24.6 million people in Sudan would experience acute food insecurity, including famine. Given the ongoing conflict, displacement, early onset of the peak season, restricted access, and funding cuts, these critical levels of acute food insecurity and malnutrition are expected to worsen even before May. More than 30 million people in Sudan require humanitarian assistance, with 9 million in Darfur alone, most of whom can only be reached via cross-border support from Chad.
Of the total humanitarian aid announced today, €140 million is contingent upon the approval of the budgetary authorities. Commissioner Lahbib is also scheduled to engage with EU humanitarian partners, national authorities, and civil society organisations in Chad to discuss the pressing humanitarian challenges and needs.
