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What’s happening in Chad?

The escalating conflict in Sudan has led to more than 10 million people fleeing their homes. An estimated 910,000 people have crossed the border into Chad, adding to the pressure on the already limited resources in the country.

Chad was already facing significant humanitarian challenges before this crisis. The country is dealing with the long term impacts of violence from Boko Haram, climate change, severe drought and food shortages.

Learn more about the crisis in Chad, and how ShelterBox is helping.

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The crisis in Chad

Since April 2023, civil war in neighbouring Sudan has forced over one million people, many of them already displaced, across the border into eastern Chad.

An estimated 98% of those arriving are women and children. Most are living in overcrowded, makeshift shelters with limited access to food, clean water, and shelter. The risk of cholera outbreaks and meningitis is incredibly high.

While Chad continues to welcome refugees, humanitarian funding is falling short. Most support is focused on Sudanese refugees. That’s making it harder for returnees (people returning to Chad) to get the help they need. This crisis is putting huge pressure on local communities.

As the conflict in Sudan continues with no end in sight, more people are expected to cross into Chad. The need for emergency shelter will only grow.

The Sudan conflict explained
illustration Map showing Chad, Nigeria, Niger and Cameroon

Where is Chad?

Chad is a landlocked country on the edge of some the world’s most violent conflicts.

It shares a border with Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Sudan, and Libya.

The Sahara Desert is in the north. The south of Chad is dominated by the Sudanian Savanna – a belt of tropical grassland that stretches from Nigeria to Ethiopia. The south is dominated by the Sudanian Savanna – a belt of tropical grassland that stretches from Nigeria to Ethiopia.

ShelterBox has worked in Chad and Sudan in 2020, 2018 and 2014, supporting people displaced by conflict and extreme weather. We’ve provided crucial shelter assistance and other essential items.

How is conflict and climate overlapping to drive displacement in Chad?

In Chad, a mix of conflict, climate disasters, and disease outbreaks is making life incredibly difficult for millions of people. Women and girls are disproportionately affected.

It is one of the most climate-vulnerable countries in the world. It’s exposed to flash flooding, long drought, and desertification. Yet it’s also supporting a vast number of people driven across its borders from violence in Sudan. Ongoing conflict makes it harder to adapt to climate disasters.

A severe drought in March 2025 was worse than expected – putting extra pressure on water sources. Poor rainfall has hurt harvests, and refugees have started using nearby farmland to survive. Food prices have doubled since the conflict began, adding strain on local communities.

As more people flee to Chad, informal camps are growing, making it harder to move families into safer, more permanent shelters. The overlapping crises of conflict and climate are driving more displacement, increasing tensions, and making it harder for people to rebuild their lives. A Cholera outbreak is also posing significant risk to densely populated camps.

What's displacement?

How is ShelterBox helping in Chad?

ShelterBox has supported over 20,000 people in Chad since the beginning of the Sudan conflict in April 2023. Now, in partnership with HELP Tchad we’re working to improve living conditions and support the recovery of thousands more families.

We are providing emergency shelter items like tarpaulins and rope to help build temporary shelters. To make these shelters feel more like home, we’re providing essential items like solar lights, mosquito nets, blankets, sleeping mats, kitchen sets, and fuel efficient stoves.

We’re also supporting families build longer-lasting mudbrick shelters by providing materials, tools, training, and cash assistance. This gives families the chance to start rebuilding their lives.

A ShelterBox team has recently been deployed to eastern Chad. They received feedback that people are happy that they are cool inside the semi-durable shelters. More than 300 mudbrick shelters have been built in camps at Tongori and Farchana. Most of our mudbrick shelters are complete at both camps.

We’ve had to pause for rainy season as the production kilns have closed. This was expected. The remaining
127 mudbrick shelters will be complete by the
end of the year.

In April 2025, a major escalation of violence in ZamZam camp in Al Fasher, North Darfur, displaced over 400,000 people. Many will likely flee to Chad, increasing the urgent need for shelter. We have a separate emergency project to donate tarpaulins, solar lights, and water carriers to UNHCR, helping thousands in the hardest-hit areas of eastern Chad.

We’ll also be supporting new arrivals to the transit areas of refugee camps. Our shelters will provide a temporary, safe home within the camp. Families can stay there until more durable shelters are available.

Tarpaulins, solar lights, and water carriers have arrived in Abeche. We have been unable to distribute so far, due to heavy rains – yet we are working hard to overcome this challenge.

Learn about our shelters
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A ShelterBox team conducting assessments, and meeting with our local partner, Help Chad.
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How are we responding to climate change in Chad?

Some families have been living in emergency shelters since the war in Sudan began. Over time, shelters made from tarpaulins have worn down from constant exposure to the sun and weather.

We’re upgrading shelters to better support people who’ve been displaced for so long. We’re doing this by reusing existing tarpaulins to build shaded outdoor areas and building new homes from mudbricks. These naturally keep the inside cooler during the day and warmer at night.

We’re also using two types of bricks. Sun-dried clay bricks are eco-friendly and need less energy to produce compared to concrete or cement. In areas where there isn’t clay, we’re using fired bricks – made using only dead or dry wood to reduce environmental harm. These are more resistant to heavy rains and flooding.

We’re also addressing deforestation. Our aid package includes local ‘foyer amélioré’ stoves. They use less wood than traditional open fires – so families can cook more efficiently while protecting local forests.

how do Climate and conflict link?
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Hawa and her family, pictured in a displacement camp in Chad, 2024.
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Hawa Abdullah’s story

Many people arriving in Chad from Sudan do not have shelter. People have made structures from basic materials like branches cloth or waste plastic sheets. Families don’t have enough food, people are suffering in the heat without drinking water or shade. Health concerns like cholera and diarrhoea can rapidly spread because of lack of basic services.

One of the people we’ve supported is Hawa Abdullah, and her family. She described why she left Sudan.

No one remains in the village anymore. They left, anyone who remained was killed.

Read more stories from Chad
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Emergency shelter in Chad, for people fleeing the war in Sudan. 2025.
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Take action

How can I support people leaving Sudan?

  • A tarpaulin and shelter gives families and communities privacy, shade and protection from the weather.
  • A kitchen set allows people to prepare food.
  • A mosquito net protects people from malaria, and other diseases.

The war in Sudan has left 25 million people in need of assistance. We need donations to continue to support the people of Sudan, for our projects both in Sudan and Chad.

Learn how we spend your money here.

Donate now