700 Sudanese children unaccompanied in Chad

Moatinoon
A report by the United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF) stated that following attacks on the Zamzam and Abu Shouk internally displaced persons (IDP) camps in Sudan, approximately 47,110 new refugees have arrived in several states in Chad over the past 30 days. As the situation in Sudan continues to deteriorate, the number of refugees is expected to rise.

The UN report indicated that more than 700 unaccompanied children have been identified, and access to mental health and psychosocial services remains inadequate. It noted that the host population in Chad suffers from severely limited access to basic social services, such as healthcare, protection, education, water, sanitation, and hygiene. This influx of refugees threatens fragile social cohesion and increases the risk of conflict between the two communities.

The report added that refugees, returnees, and host populations, including children, are exposed to health risks such as dengue fever, diphtheria, hepatitis E, and measles. According to the latest national report on the diphtheria epidemic in Chad, a confirmed case has been reported in the town of Iriba, Wadi Fira Province.

The report noted a shortage of nutritional treatment units for patients and a number of cases of severe acute malnutrition and complications among refugees, returnees, children, and host communities.