Safe at Last: Sudanese refugees in Chad rebuild lives, thanks to KSrelief support

When conflict started in Sudan in April 2023, the only thing people could think of was to flee for their safety. By September that year, over 400,000, mostly women and children, had crossed into neighboring Chad, many arriving with nothing but the clothes they had on. 

Adré, a small town on the border with Sudan, had become a refuge for thousands, quickly becoming overcrowded with people settling in temporary makeshift shelters. 

To avoid further risk to the new arrivals, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, together with the Government of Chad and humanitarian partners began to relocate the new arrivals into locations further from the border, so that they can be safer and better access assistance. One such location was the Metché refugee settlement, newly established to host up to 50,000 people but due to the sheer number of people in need, ended up hosting almost twice the intended capacity. Among the new arrivals was Noura Abdallah Mouhamed, a mother who had fled from her hometown in El Geneina in Sudan’s Darfur region.

“Many of us fled the violence to seek refuge in Chad. While fleeing, we saw dead bodies and injured people,” narrated Mouhamed. “Upon arriving in Chad, we were warmly received in Adré and from here, we were transferred to this new settlement called Metché. Thank God, here in Metché we have shelter. We are still missing many essential items, but thankfully we have shelter that protects us from the harsh weather during the rainy season,” she said.

Shelter for safety and dignity

Metché is one of eight new settlements built as part of the emergency response to the crisis. But as much as the shelters are lifesaving, they are temporary. The need to shift toward more durable, long-term housing is growing by the day. Thanks to the support of King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief), UNHCR and partners were able to act quickly. During the 2023–2024 response, the funding helped provide over 7,400 emergency shelters, more than 6,600 families with a safe place to sleep, protection from harsh rains and exposure during a critical time. One of those who found shelter was Hawa Issat, a 30-year-old woman from El Geneina.

“We were forced to flee to survive. During our flight, we witnessed many atrocities our parents were assaulted in front of us, and women were raped,” she says. “When we arrived in Chad, we stayed in Adré for two months before being relocated to Metché. Thank God, two days after we arrived, we received a shelter. I’ve even been able to start a small business selling vegetables and food, thanks to my savings.”

“What we were able to achieve, with KSrelief's support, is not just about providing shelter it’s about restoring dignity,” said Franck Ndohessengar Guidita a shelter associate at UNHCR in Chad. “Thousands of families arrived with nothing, and today they have a roof, a door, and the safety to begin again. That’s a powerful difference.”

With funds from the project, UNHCR was able to relocate about half of all the newly arrived refugees to safer, better-organized sites like Metché. There, they have access to protection and assistance to begin rebuilding their lives.

"It's not just about providing shelter it’s about restoring dignity."

 

As of December 2024, when the project concluded, UNHCR and partners provided improved emergency shelters to 1,951 refugee families across Chad, ensuring a safe and culturally appropriate housing, boosting privacy and adequate space to store goods and food, particularly urgent given that nearly 90 per cent of the new arrivals are women and children.

KSrelief’s contribution helped thousands of Sudanese families move from chaos to calm from displacement to dignity. The shelters that were built in the crisis have become more of a symbol of hope. Refugees who have fled Sudan and experienced so much suffering are safe at last with the hope that one day they shall return home.