UNHCR disclosed on 23 October that nearly 100,000 people had fled from El Fasher to Chad over the preceding year. Almost one million people had crossed into Chad seeking safety since Sudan’s conflict began in April 2023, spokesperson Babar Baloch told the UN’s Geneva briefing. These are cumulative arrivals, not a new one-day influx.
Baloch linked continuing displacement to the growing use of airstrikes and drones, which expose civilians to further danger and force some families to flee repeatedly. The figures underline the sustained scale of protection and assistance needs on Chad’s eastern border.
The briefing also presented findings from a survey of 50 women’s organisations supporting people displaced from El Fasher. UN Women described continuing trauma from sexual violence, missing relatives, lost livelihoods and psychological distress. Across Darfur and Kordofan, humanitarian organisations are preparing to expand assistance over six months, but severe funding shortages are constraining that response.