Darfur Refugees

The conflict in Darfur continues to take its largest toll on civilians in the region.  There are over 250,000 Darfur refugees in Chad, and more than 2 million are internally displaced in Sudan.  Humanitarian aid agencies have a difficult time assisting both groups of Darfur refugees due to ongoing insecurity that endangers their personnel and prevents them access to the people who need help.  The spread of the conflict into Chad has also uprooted over 170,000 Chadians who remain vulnerable to attacks by armed groups, prompting the need for an effective security presence in Eastern Chad, as well as Darfur.

Refugees and Internally Displaced People 

Who are refugees?

Refugees are people who cross an international border and seek the protection of a government that is not their own, like the Darfuris who fled persecution in Sudan and went to Chad hoping that the Chadian government would let them stay and offer them assistance.

What is an internally displaced person (IDP)?

IDPs are people who flee persecution by going to another part of the same country, like the Darfuris who relocated to other parts of Sudan hoping to avoid further attacks by the Janjawid, or like the Chadians who moved within Chad to avoid violence by rebel groups.

How do refugees differ from internally displaced persons?

Refugees and internally displaced persons often flee the same types of human rights violations—political repression, persecution due to religious affiliation, and attacks based on ethnicity, just to name a few. But where they flee partially determines how the international and aid communities address their situations.

Why are people fleeing from Darfur and Eastern Chad and where are they going?

The Janjawid began attacks in Darfur in large numbers in 2003. Since then, some 215,000 Sudanese refugees have fled across the border into Chad, and over two million other people have been displaced within Sudan. The situation around the Sudan/Chad border is further complicated by developments within Chad itself. Attacks by armed groups crossing the border from Sudan have caused the displacement of tens of thousands of Chadians. Many of them have had to relocate several times within Chad’s borders, and some of the more desperate are even fleeing across the border in the opposite direction—into ravaged and insecure Darfur.

What happens to the refugees from Darfur when they get to Chad?

The majority of those who made it to Chad are living in refugee camps run by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), where they receive shelter, food, education, and health care. The Government of Chad is a party to the Refugee Convention and is honoring its commitment not to return Sudanese refugees to their homes, where their own government does not protect them. However, due to the lack of national refugee policy within Chad, the refugees may languish in camps with no long-term solutions in sight, unable to put down new roots in Chad. In addition, the camps where they have sought safety have been attacked by armed groups.

What about those internally displaced inside Sudan?

Those who are displaced inside Sudan continue to be subject to attacks, and have not been able to rely on their own government to assure their safety.

Are the refugee’s and IDPs safe once they leave the area of conflict?

Refugee camps have not remained safe from further attacks by armed groups. Refugees and IDPs in both countries remain vulnerable to further violence.

How can governments protect IDPs and refugees?

Amnesty International acknowledges that Chad and Sudan are both hosting refugees and meeting the obligation not to return them forcibly to dangerous situations, but meaningful protection must include preventing further attacks and violence. Also, AI has appealed to the United Nations Security Council to ensure protection for all civilians in Chad and Sudan.