2 June, 2023 – A total of 72 wounded people from Sudan have been treated at the hospital in Adré, eastern Chad, by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in partnership with the local health authorities. This is as a result of violence and fighting that has raged in Darfur and other regions of Sudan for more than six weeks and has led to almost a hundred thousand people fleeing to Chad since April 15.
The wounded reach the Chadian town of Goungour, around ten kilometres from Masterei, from where they are then referred by Ministry of Health and MSF teams to the hospital in Adré. The youngest patient received was three years old. Many of those in a critical condition are said to have been left behind, unable to travel to Chad or to access medical care in West Darfur, including in the capital El Geneina where the violence is particularly intense.
Working in Adré since 2021, MSF teams are working alongside the Chadian health authorities to meet the increased needs of the Sudanese refugees and the host population. In the health centres in Adré, Hilouta and Mahamata, supported by MSF, they have seen an increase of around 40% in paediatric consultations in the last week, partly linked to the arrival of new refugees in the area. The teams are also travelling to sites where refugees are gathered, such as Goungour, to offer medical consultations and are carrying out vaccination campaigns to protect children against measles. More than 30,000 children have been vaccinated against measles in Koufroun, Diza, Midjiguilta and Goungour. MSF also provides medical care to refugees and host communities in Sila province.
The cessation of trade with El-Geneina, the region’s economic powerhouse, is also likely to exacerbate the surge in prices of staple foods in an area that is highly vulnerable to food insecurity. The response to the urgent needs of the people who have recently fled Darfur must also take into account those of the local communities and the 400,000 or so Sudanese refugees who have been living in overcrowded and unsanitary camps for several years in eastern Chad.
