European Commissioner Hadja Labib has pledged increased financial aid from the EU for Chad as she visited the town of Adré, one of the most important crossing points for Sudanese refugees fleeing the civil war that began two years ago.
Europe will provide 74.5 million euros this year to help the Chadian authorities with their reception policy in the face of the crisis, the worst in decades according to the UN.
Local authorities and international humanitarian partners fear the impact of drastic cuts in American aid announced by the Trump administration.
The conflict between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces militias broke out in April 2023. It has already caused the deaths of more than 20,000 people and displaced more than 15 million, according to the UN.
There are over 1 million Sudanese refugees in eastern Chad, as well as 400,000 people who arrived during the Darfur crisis 20 years ago. In response, the EU has almost doubled its humanitarian aid to Chad, increasing it to 56 million in 2023 and 63 million last year.
State of uncertainty
For the whole of the “Sudan region” – Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Chad, Libya and Egypt – EU aid this year amounts to 269 million euros.
The funding, which also supports UN programmes and major international NGOs, is all the more important given the uncertainty surrounding the contribution of the US, which accounts for almost half of international humanitarian aid in the region. In 2024 alone, US aid to Chad amounted to 162 million dollars.
“The best response to any humanitarian crisis is peace”
At the end of January, the Trump administration announced the freezing of a large part of the USAid programme. Contradictory announcements have since been made, leaving partners in a state of uncertainty.
“UN agencies are having to face up to a drastic reduction in American aid. We are here to see how we can help them in a more effective and sustainable way,” said Lahbib, whose portfolio covers crisis management.
The Chadian minister for Humanitarian Aid, Zara Mahamat Issa, said she feared the loss of half of these funds, which would be a catastrophe for the refugees, particularly women and children, but also for the Chadian populations affected.
Humanitarian workers have warned of the complications imposed by the Chadian authorities on access to aid in Sudan. Tensions have grown recently between the two countries, raising fears of an overflow of the conflict.
At the political level, Lahbib, of Belgium’s francophone liberal party MR, will represent the EU in London next week at an international conference on the war in Sudan, organised by the EU, the UK, Germany and France. “The best response to any humanitarian crisis is peace,” she said.
