Chad is grappling with a deepening humanitarian crisis, with 1.8 million people currently displaced or stateless within its borders, according to the latest report by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). The committee also noted that Chad received an additional 1.2 million refugees during 2024 alone, making it one of the top refugee-hosting countries in Africa this year.
While CEDAW commended Chad for enacting a progressive asylum law that grants refugees equal rights to education, healthcare, and social protection, the committee raised serious concerns about implementation. “Despite the legal framework, refugee and internally displaced populations continue to face limited access to essential services and overlapping forms of discrimination,” the report stated.
The situation comes amid continued political uncertainty and security volatility in Chad, where a fragile transitional government is still navigating its way toward full civilian rule following the death of President Idriss Déby in 2021. Cross-border instability, particularly from the ongoing conflict in Sudan, has intensified the pressure on Chad’s already overstretched infrastructure.
In eastern Chad, the influx of refugees fleeing Sudan’s civil war has overwhelmed local communities and aid agencies. Many of the newly displaced are women and children in urgent need of humanitarian assistance, shelter, and protection.
The committee urged Chadian authorities to prioritize inclusive service delivery and take immediate action to address inequalities affecting displaced communities. It also called for stronger safeguards to protect women and girls in humanitarian contexts, where risks of exploitation and abuse remain high.
The UN’s findings on Chad were part of a broader review of global adherence to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. The report also assessed the situations in Afghanistan, Botswana, Fiji, Ireland, Mexico, San Marino, the Solomon Islands, Thailand, and Tuvalu.
With the displacement crisis deepening and resources dwindling, international organizations are calling for urgent global support to prevent a full-scale humanitarian disaster. Aid agencies estimate that without immediate funding and coordinated action, hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people in Chad could be left without basic life-saving support by the end of the year.
