Training helps displaced Sudanese lawyers return to work in Chad
Training helps displaced Sudanese lawyers return to work in Chad
Lawyer Ameera Abdalla, 37, left behind her new legal practice when she fled conflict in Sudan to Chad.
Amira sits among a row of makeshift shelters that cover the landscape in Iridimi Refugee Camp in eastern Chad, close to the border with Sudan. In April 2023, when families arrived after fleeing the war that erupted across the border, many of the new shelters in Iridimi camp were hastily constructed with whatever materials were at hand then – sticks, blankets, plastic tarpaulins.
The camp has expanded steadily and is now home to almost 42,000 Sudanese refugees. For many, their daily routines here bear little resemblance to their previous lives in Sudan. Many were used to going to work, helping others, or holding positions of responsibility in their communities. In the refugee camp in Chad, days are spent securing water, food and shelter, with little opportunity to apply their skills and experience.
“When I am queuing for water, I start remembering where I was before,” said Amira, 37, who has been living in the camp for almost three years. “I was close to forgetting that one day I used to be a lawyer.”
Amira grew up in El Fasher, the capital of Sudan’s North Darfur region. Her mother was a lawyer, and as a child, Amira loved movies with courtroom scenes of legal experts crafting compelling cases on behalf of their clients. It was almost inevitable that Amira herself would study law, complete her training and later start practising in Omdurman, Khartoum state.
Before the war, she took pride in mediating between people and being an outspoken voice for justice. Her days revolved around court hearings, client meetings and studying legal cases. In early 2023, just months before fighting broke out, she opened an office in Khartoum, investing everything she had in building her own legal practice.
On the morning of 15 April 2023, Amira was asleep when her brother called from El Fasher and told her to turn on the television. Al-Arabi Market in Khartoum, where she worked, was burning. From that moment, moving around the city became unsafe. Amira never returned to her office, and in the days that followed, it was set on fire.
Targeted for their profession
At the same time, a similar story was playing out in West Darfur, where the violence directed at lawyers was sometimes chillingly targeted.
In Al-Geneina, Mohamed Hamid had built a life he never imagined leaving. At 43, he was a lawyer, a father of five, and a familiar presence in his community and the city he loved.
“I was born in Al-Geneina. I grew up and played there. I studied there. Every corner means something to me.”
When fighting broke out in April 2023, the life he had carefully constructed over decades quickly fell apart. Mohamed and his family fled their home with only the clothes they were wearing. As the violence spread, lawyers began to vanish from daily life.
Mohamed Hamid, a lawyer from Al-Geneina who fled to Chad, holds the first suit he bought when he became a lawyer.
Soon after, Mohamed was separated from his family. For weeks, he had no information about where they were or whether they were alive. The uncertainty consumed him.
“I kept thinking about my five children,” he said. “The thought of losing them all at once was devastating.”
His lone journey to safety was far from simple, with Mohamed being detained and returned to Al-Geneina on his first attempt. Eventually, he reached safety in Adré, Chad, where he was also reunited with his family after nearly a year of separation.
But despite the relief of finding his wife and children unharmed, with no way to practise law he felt stripped of the role that had defined him for most of his life.
A role restored
The turning point came when Mohamed joined a legal training programme supported by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and Mastercard Foundation.
So far, one hundred displaced Sudanese legal practitioners have joined the programme in Abéché, the regional capital located around 150 kilometres west of Adré. The group includes experienced lawyers like Mohamed and Amira, as well as recent graduates and students whose studies were interrupted by the conflict.
The training was led by professionals from N'Djamena and Abéché, including the President of the Court of Appeal, the Prosecutor of the Republic, and the First Deputy Attorney General. The programme combines theory and practice and will include follow-up of trials in open court.
By gaining certification under the Organization for the Harmonization of Business Law in Africa, participants can practise law in Chad and in 17 other member countries after completing the course.
“For me, law is about rights. If people do not know their rights, they lose them,” said Amni Youssouf, another member of the training programme who fled Sudan under similar conditions to Mohamed.
Amni Youssouf plans to use his legal training to help other refugees living in Iridimi camp.
Amni and his family eventually reached eastern Chad, where his youngest child was born in Iridimi Camp. Like many professionals who found safety in Iridimi, he wanted to use his skills to support other displaced families.
“Being knowledgeable in law always puts me in a position to help,” he explained.
Now, with certification and training in Chadian law, he plans to use his legal skills to support people in vulnerable situations. “The first thing we will do is raise awareness on refugee rights,” he said.
For Amni, Mohamed, Amira and others like them, learning Chadian law has enabled them to return to work, rebuild their livelihoods and contribute their skills at a time when many displaced families struggle to navigate unfamiliar legal systems.
“This workshop helped me get out of an environment where I was deeply frustrated. It brought my abilities back,” Amira said.
"If not for this training, many of us would have lost our voice and ability to act," Mohamed concluded.
