Sudanese refugees in Chad

Two UNHCR staff members will arrive tomorrow in Chad and proceed to Adré, on the eastern border with Sudan, to look into the situation of 10,300 refugees who have arrived during the past two weeks from Sudan. Reports this morning from Adré indicate that half that number arrived in the last 24 hours, and that people are still crossing the border.

The refugees are fleeing tribal fighting in Sudan's West Darfur region which has reportedly displaced up to 120,000 people. People arriving in Chad are both of Arab and Massalit origin.

Last May, some 8,500 Sudanese left the area around the town of El Geneina under similar circumstances. UNHCR gave the group emergency aid, as well as seeds and food to help them through the rainy season. An NGO has remained on the site and although some of the refugees have returned since, most of the 8,500 are still in Adré.