Escaping Darfur: Mothers face starvation under trees in Chad
Fleeing scorched earth, Darfur’s mothers share harrowing tales of starvation and survival in Chad.
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Sudanese teachers who fled to Goudrane refugee camp have set up a school under the trees, offering children education and a break from often deeply traumatic memories. The schools that do exist in the camp run double shifts but still hold 100 to 200 pupils per classroom. Across Sudan, Chad and South Sudan, only 45 percent of displaced children have regular access to education; in Chad, family separation nearly doubles the risk of child labour. Goudrane refugee camp, eastern Chad [Enayatullah Azad/NRC]
Sudanese families embark on arduous journeys across the Sudanese border into eastern Chad, travelling on foot for two weeks or more. They navigate checkpoints and traverse open terrain, with adults carrying children on their backs and bringing minimal possessions. Chad has become the primary host country in the region for Sudanese refugees, sheltering more than 1.3 million people (UNHCR, April 2026). Women and children comprise more than 90 percent of those who have arrived since April 2023. Wadi Fira, eastern Chad. [Enayatullah Azad/NRC]
Every day, trucks arrive at the transit centre in Renk, Upper Nile State, the primary entry point for most refugees crossing from Sudan into South Sudan. Since April 2023, more than one million people have sought refuge in South Sudan, fleeing the ongoing conflict in Sudan (UNHCR). The Renk transit centre, originally designed to accommodate just 4,000 individuals, reached a peak occupancy of more than 23,000 people. Renk transit centre, South Sudan. [Richard Ashton/NRC]
Amona's 25-day journey from Khartoum to West Darfur came after a harrowing escape. "We fled our homes with nothing," she says. "Our houses were locked behind us, full of our belongings. We fled the shelling and gunfire, with bombs falling directly on our homes. One of them hit our neighbour's house while they were inside, and no one made it out alive." Now in West Darfur, Sudan, she must walk an hour each way to collect water in small jerrycans that provide just enough for basic cooking and drinking needs. Touloum refugee camp, eastern Chad. [Ahmed Ahmed/NRC]
Kuich, 45, originally from Malakal, was forced to flee Sudan with his five children after losing his wife in crossfire. Among the hundreds of thousands crossing into South Sudan, many are returnees - people coming back to a country they had previously fled, often landless and with family members lost or separated during their journey. For many, the transit centre in Renk has transformed from a temporary stop into a permanent home. Renk transit centre, South Sudan. [Richard Ashton/NRC]
Zaynab Ibrahim Hamed, formerly an Arabic teacher in Sudan, now resides alone in a modest shelter at Touloum refugee camp. The war killed her father and led to her brothers' disappearance. Her remaining family members are scattered - some in Chad, some in Sudan, while the whereabouts of others remain unknown. "Life in Sudan was good," she says. "We had a house, a car, jobs. But then the war came and life became a battle to survive." In eastern Chad's Touloum refugee camp, ninety percent of households headed by women have no source of income. Touloum refugee camp, eastern Chad. [Enayatullah Azad/NRC]
Muktar Ahmed, forced from his home in el-Fasher, now finds refuge near the Chad-Sudan border, witnessing his children's education slip away. "My children were going to school in Sudan, but it was destroyed," he explains. "It is difficult to learn on an empty stomach." Throughout Sudan, Chad and South Sudan, merely 45 percent of displaced children receive consistent educational opportunities, while almost one in five has been completely cut off from learning. Chad-Sudan border area. [Enayatullah Azad/NRC]
Nafisa Taha Mohammed, 45, reached Thobo camp on January 27, 2026, having fled Kadugli on foot two days earlier with her husband and their 12-year-old son. The family was forced to sell their clothing to buy food during their initial days at the camp. "We need everything here and we're barely getting anything," she says. Located in Sudan's Nuba Mountains region of South Kordofan, Thobo camp has become a refuge for families displaced by renewed military conflict in Kadugli that erupted in late 2025. Thobo camp, South Kordofan, Sudan. [Karl Schembri/NRC]
Awatif Bahar Mohamed escaped el-Fasher following the murder of her husband and eldest son. On her journey to Chad, armed groups stripped her of all possessions. She reached Goudrane camp with just a single blanket to share among four people. Her surviving son had managed to earn modest income by assisting newcomers with shelter construction, but this work has since disappeared. "We are hungry," she explains, "but we are patient with the hunger. What is good is that there are no bombardments." Goudrane camp, eastern Chad. [Enayatullah Azad/NRC]
An elderly man departs from the distribution point at Umdulu camp, South Kordofan, carrying his food ration: White beans, sorghum, and salt. Since fighting intensified in late 2025, the camp has primarily received families escaping from Kadugli. Across the region, almost 75 percent of displaced households lack any form of income. Food distributions have become the sole barrier protecting many families from starvation. Umdulu Camp, South Kordofan, Sudan. [Karl Schembri/NRC]
Amina fled Khartoum with her four children after her husband vanished during the conflict's initial days. For two weeks, she journeyed on foot, concealing herself at checkpoints and traveling under cover of darkness until reaching the Nuba Mountains - a region already struggling to accommodate countless displaced families. By observing others, she constructed a shelter and sacrificed her own food portions to feed her children. When a modest cash transfer finally arrived months later, she invested in sorghum seeds for planting and several chickens. South Kordofan, Sudan. [Mathilde Vu/NRC]
Local responders, with NRC's support, provide porridge to children and sorghum with beans to adults at Thobo camp's reception area. Throughout Sudan and Chad, approximately one in three aid recipients continue to share their limited resources with others - whether neighbours, strangers, or anyone arriving with less (NRC survey, April 2026). For three years, this grassroots solidarity has served as the unseen foundation of humanitarian response. Thobo Camp, South Kordofan, Sudan. [Karl Schembri/NRC]
Children gather at a water point in Goz al-Salam camp. The humanitarian crisis in Sudan has reached critical levels, with more than 80 percent of displaced families now skipping meals to survive. Alarmingly, 18 percent of households have been forced to send their children to work. Across the border in Chad, one in four women lacks access to any toilet or latrine facilities, subjecting them to harassment and violence during their extended journeys to find water. The trauma and hardships these children are experiencing will leave lasting impacts that will continue long after this conflict ends. Goz al-Salam camp, Kosti, White Nile State, Sudan. [Ahmed Elsir/NRC]
Om Bakheeta Siddiq welcomed displaced families into her home in Um Hani village for three years, providing them with beds, mattresses, food, and water until roads reopened and they could finally return home. "When I see someone struggling, I give without expecting anything in return," she says. "When these people came to us, they were already like family." After enduring four displacements, nearly two-thirds of people report being completely exhausted with no resources remaining. Um Hani village, Sudan. [Elias Abu Ata/NRC]
Thuraya Hamad al-Nil fled Khartoum to find refuge in Fangooga, where the local community embraced her, providing shelter and crucial support during her most difficult months. She participated in agricultural activities, acquiring new skills she intends to apply upon returning home. The community fostered inclusion by organizing shared iftars during Ramadan. "These moments helped me feel included and reduced the sense of displacement," she says. Though the local community has been generous, external aid remains minimal in Fangooga, Sudan. [Elias Abu Ata/NRC]
In Tawila, North Darfur, displaced residents with barely any resources are preparing meals for those in even more desperate circumstances. Camp committees composed of locals are carefully managing the limited water supplies available. No official infrastructure maintains this system - only individuals who have chosen not to turn a blind eye to others' suffering. According to NRC's survey, approximately one-third of aid recipients across Sudan and Chad continue sharing their provisions with others, despite their own dwindling supplies. Tawila, North Darfur, Sudan. [Marwan Mohammed/NRC]
Abulay Jerema Osman oversees a well situated at a 20-minute walk from Goudrane refugee camp, serving both livestock and displaced persons. "Many refugees are coming from the camp to this well. Here they can take the water freely. We are happy the refugees can get safety here in Chad. They are our guests." However, he speaks candidly about the constraints: "The international community needs to help Chad support the refugees. The situation for the refugees here is very tough." Outside Goudrane refugee camp, eastern Chad. [Enayatullah Azad/NRC]
A man passes a makeshift stall offering toothbrushes, a tin of juice, and small food packets at Renk transit centre. With virtually no formal employment available, many displaced individuals in Renk must resort to selling whatever items they can to survive. South Sudan has absorbed more than one million people fleeing Sudan's war (UNHCR), creating an overwhelming burden on a nation already struggling with its own severe humanitarian crisis. Nearly 75 percent of displaced households in the region have no source of income. Renk transit centre, South Sudan. [Richard Ashton/NRC]
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Ikram Abdalkareem and her mother escaped Sudan with nothing but the clothes on their backs. [Ala Kheir/UNHCR]
Sudanese refugees cluster beneath trees and within improvised shelters at a temporary settlement in Koulbous, Chad, along the Sudan border. They seek respite from the sun after escaping the persistent conflict that began in Sudan in April 2023. [Ala Kheir/UNHCR]
The demand for water in the Farchana refugee settlement has increased dramatically. [Ala Kheir/UNHCR]
Mohamed Ibrahim, a pharmacist originally from central Sudan, escaped the conflict with his family and currently works at Farchana Hospital. As resources and personnel become critically scarce, he grows increasingly worried about the wellbeing of his fellow refugees in the settlement. [Ala Kheir/UNHCR]
The malnutrition centre at Farchana Hospital is currently providing critical care to at least 80 infants and children who require urgent medical support. [Ala Kheir/UNHCR]
Lab technician Ismail Babikr Abbas Hassan draws a blood sample from Sudanese refugee, Anwar Abdaalrasoul. [Ala Kheir/UNHCR]
Farchana refugee settlement houses more than 22,000 Sudanese refugees, including some who have lived there since their initial displacement during the 2003 Darfur conflict. [Ala Kheir/UNHCR]
Dr Alsadig Ahmed Hamed Yahya has served at Farchana Hospital since 2013, following his education funded by a UNHCR scholarship. While passionate about his role, he emphasizes the critical importance of expanding the medical staff to sustain healthcare services throughout the camp. [Ala Kheir/UNHCR]
Little Amna Ishag remains under the careful observation of health professionals at the malnutrition centre. Her mother, Hawa, keeps a vigilant eye as Amna receives the essential nutrition needed for her recovery. [Ala Kheir/UNHCR]
Among the more than 80 children currently receiving care at the clinic is one-year-old Ayub, who suffers from acute malnutrition. [Ala Kheir/UNHCR]
The malnutrition clinic at Farchana Hospital offers specialised meals and nutritional formulas for infants and children. However, without immediate funding, the facility faces closure by late 2025. [Ala Kheir/UNHCR]
At her residence in Farchana Refugee Settlement, Sudanese psychiatrist Nidal Shamsaldin expresses her commitment to helping other refugees recover from trauma. "My knowledge of mental health is what kept me stable," she says. "Many people around me went through even more traumatic experiences. Working here at the hospital allows me to support them — especially families who don't know how to cope with psychological struggles." [Ala Kheir/UNHCR]
Children gather water from a nearby river, a critical resource facing increasing strain. The combination of drier weather and the continuous surge of refugees from Sudan has intensified water shortages to alarming levels. [Ala Kheir/UNHCR]
Established in January 2004, Farchana refugee camp in eastern Chad lies less than 100km from Adre, near the Sudanese border. The camp was created to provide shelter for refugees escaping the Darfur conflict. [Ala Kheir/UNHCR]
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A Sudanese refugee girl carries her brother, at the Iridimi refugee camp northwest of Iriba, in Wadi Fira province, eastern Chad. [Amr Abdallah Dalsh/Reuters]
An elderly woman walks through the Touloum refugee camp, on the outskirts of the town of Iriba, in Wadi Fira province, eastern Chad. [Amr Abdallah Dalsh/Reuters]
Sudanese refugees walk through a sandstorm at the Touloum refugee camp. [Amr Abdallah Dalsh/Reuters]
Refugees build a house of clay bricks inside the Iridimi refugee camp. [Amr Abdallah Dalsh/Reuters]
Children attend classes under a tree in the Iridimi refugee camp. [Amr Abdallah Dalsh/Reuters]
Of Sudan’s 18 states, the RSF controls all five states of the Darfur region in the west, except for some northern parts of North Darfur that remain under army control. [Amr Abdallah Dalsh/Reuters]
The conflict between the Sudanese army and the RSF, which began in April 2023, has killed at least 40,000 people and displaced 12 million. [Amr Abdallah Dalsh/Reuters]
The latest wave of displacement follows RSF attacks, with support from the SPLM-North faction, on several villages in South Kordofan. [Amr Abdallah Dalsh/Reuters]
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![Sudanese refugee children from Al-Fashir play during the sunset over the Tine transit refugee camp, amid the conflict between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese army, in eastern Chad, November 21, 2025. [File: Amr Abdallah Dalsh/Reuters]](https://aljazeeranews.edgeone.app/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/2025-11-21T230040Z_201471446_RC231IAUGXUH_RTRMADP_3_SUDAN-POLITICS-CHAD-1763808283.jpg?resize=770%2C513&quality=80)
