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Chad: Restoring Dignity for Families Fleeing War in Sudan

Faced with the influx of tens of thousands of people fleeing the conflict in Sudan, the semi-desert town of Tiné has transformed into a humanitarian transit zone, where basic needs are urgent. In 2025, the transit point of Ouré Cassoni in the northeast of the country, where two thirds of refugees from Sudan now enter Chad, has grown disproportionately. 

Families arrive carrying little more than what they can hold. Many have been on the move for days, sometimes without food or water, fleeing extreme violence and loss. Some arrive injured. Others are deeply traumatised after witnessing loved ones killed or raped. 

From the moment they arrive, they receive immediate support by teams from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and volunteers from the Red Cross of Chad. A simple welcome kit and access to water and sanitation, the chance to reconnect with separated family members and psychological support help restore a sense of dignity at a moment when almost everything else has been taken away.

Manira Soubour Wadi, a 25-year-old Sudanese refugee, poses in front of the arrival kit distributed by the ICRC and the Red Cross of Chad, under a tree where her belongings are stored, at the entry point of the Ouré Cassoni camp, East Ennedi, Chad, on 23 November 2025.
Joris Bolomey for ICRC

Manira Soubour Wadi, a 25-year-old Sudanese refugee, poses in front of the arrival kit distributed by the ICRC and the Red Cross of Chad, under a tree where her belongings are stored, at the entry point of the Ouré Cassoni camp, East Ennedi, Chad, on 23 November 2025.

Sudanese refugees check the kit distributed by the ICRC at the entry point of Ouré Cassoni camp, Ennedi East, Chad, 23 November 2025.
Joris Bolomey for ICRC

Sudanese refugees check the kit distributed by the ICRC at the entry point of Ouré Cassoni camp, Ennedi East, Chad, 23 November 2025. The arrival kits are composed of a jerrycan, a sakane for ablutions, a tarpaulin for shelter, a bucket and soap. A number of kits also included a solar lamp.

Hawa Adam Abdallah Charfadine, 35 (centre), collected water from a borehole installed by the ICRC near the Tiné transit site, Wadi Fira, Chad.
Joris Bolomey for ICRC

Hawa Adam Abdallah Charfadine, 35 (centre), collected water from a borehole installed by the ICRC near the Tiné transit site, Wadi Fira, Chad.

Hawa Adam Abdallah Charfadine, 35 (centre), collected water from a borehole installed by the ICRC near the Tiné transit site, Wadi Fira, Chad.
Joris Bolomey for ICRC

Hawa Adam Abdallah Charfadine fled El Fasher on 26 October 2025 and arrived with her eight children in Chad, where she received a kit distributed by the ICRC.

Awa Doug Azib, 55, calls her son on 22 November 2025, using the phone made available by the ICRC and the Red Cross of Chad at the entry point to Ouré Cassoni camp, Ennedi East (Chad), where she arrived the previous month.
Joris Bolomey for ICRC

Awa Doug Azib, 55, calls her son on 22 November 2025, using the phone made available by the ICRC and the Red Cross of Chad at the entry point to Ouré Cassoni camp, Ennedi East (Chad), where she arrived the previous month. "It's the first time in nine months that I've been able to talk to my son. He is a refugee in South Sudan. I'm happy to have finally heard from him and to know that he's fine."

Allamine Saleh, 37, volunteer with the Red Cross of Chad, stands among some of the items distributed by the ICRC and the Red Cross of Chad in Tiné, Wadi Fira, Chad.
Joris Bolomey for ICRC

Allamine Saleh, 37, volunteer with the Red Cross of Chad, stands among some of the items distributed by the ICRC and the Red Cross of Chad in Tiné, Wadi Fira, Chad.

Oumar Ismaïl Zakaria, 31, a volunteer of the Red Cross of Chad, registers a Sudanese refugee at the one-stop shop on the border with Sudan, in Tiné, Chad.
Joris Bolomey for ICRC

Oumar Ismaïl Zakaria, 31, a volunteer of the Red Cross of Chad, registers a Sudanese refugee at the one-stop shop on the border with Sudan, in Tiné, Chad.

Hamed Tiara Youssouf and Nidal Abakar Abdelkerim, psychosocial workers with the Red Cross of Chad, speak with Sudanese refugees in a shelter in the Tiné transit camp, Wadi Fira, Chad, on 19 November 2025.
Joris Bolomey for ICRC

Hamed Tiara Youssouf and Nidal Abakar Abdelkerim, psychosocial workers with the Red Cross of Chad, speak with Sudanese refugees in a shelter in the Tiné transit camp, Wadi Fira, Chad, on 19 November 2025.

On 20 November 2025, a few days after he arrived at the transit camp of Tiné in Wadi Fira, Chad, Ahmat Abderahman Moustapha, 48, came to benefit from the psychosocial support provided by the Red Cross of Chad, it took him three months to reach Tiné.
Joris Bolomey for ICRC

On 20 November 2025, a few days after he arrived at the transit camp of Tiné in Wadi Fira, Chad, Ahmat Abderahman Moustapha, 48, came to benefit from the psychosocial support provided by the Red Cross of Chad, it took him three months to reach Tiné. "I was able to talk about what I suffered in El Fasher and on the way to Chad, where all my belongings were stolen from me. I don't know where my children are. Talking in a group helps me feel better."

After leaving El Fasher in November 2025, it took 27- year-old Zakia Oumar Ali nine days to arrive at the Tiné transit camp, Wadi Fira, in Chad. There, she has benefited from psychosocial support provided by the Red Cross of Chad.
Joris Bolomey for ICRC

After leaving El Fasher in November 2025, it took 27- year-old Zakia Oumar Ali nine days to arrive at the Tiné transit camp, Wadi Fira, in Chad. There, she has benefited from psychosocial support provided by the Red Cross of Chad. "In El Fasher we were tortured, we had nothing to eat. I arrived in Chad traumatised, but Nidal's advice helped me get better. She taught me to be strong and to keep hope."

ICRC and Red Cross of Chad response in Eastern Chad from January to December 2025

  • We delivered a total of 10,598 arrival kits to as many newly arrived families, reaching 31,794 people (20,589 refugees in Tiné, and 11,205 refugees in Oure Cassoni).
  • Each arrival kit contained 1 jerrycan of 20 L, 1 sakane of 2L for ablutions, 1 tarpaulin of 4x6 meters, 1 bucket of 15L and 2 soaps. A number of kits also included a solar lamp.
  • 526,605 phone calls (including 38,474 WhatsApp calls) to restore and/or maintain contact between separated family members, were facilitated in Eastern Chad for all Sudanese refugees, both old and new arrivals.
  • 17,056 individuals, including children, have benefited from 1,258 awareness sessions on mental health and psychosocial support.
  • 863 psychosocial support individual consultations were provided.
  • In the framework of the psychosocial support for children waiting to be reunited with their families:
    • 25 children separated from their families have benefited from mental health and psychosocial support.
    • 731 individuals, including members of Chadian host families and community members, have benefited from awareness sessions on psychosocial support:
    • 11 collective awareness sessions for children separated from their families, intended to reinforce their social-emotional skills and their resilience.
    • 10 collective awareness sessions for host families, intended to improve children's adjustment at home, a better understanding of children's needs, and family support.