N’Djamena – The Government of Japan has allocated USD 360,000 to support the International Organization for Migration’s (IOM) community stabilization programmes aiming to strengthen the livelihoods and stabilize communities in Eastern Chad affected by the crisis in Sudan. 

Through the project which will be implemented over the next 12 months, an estimated 43,000 Chadian returnees from Sudan and host community members in the Ouaddai and Sila provinces, will benefit from rehabilitated basic infrastructures and community grants to enhance their livelihoods. 

“We are thrilled to launch this new partnership which seeks to contribute to the long-term goal of achieving stability for the communities affected by the influx of populations from Sudan, in line with national priorities towards long-term solutions”, said Pascal Reyntjens, IOM Chad Chief of Mission. 

Nearly nine months since the outbreak of the crisis in Sudan in April 2023, more than 540 000 people have fled Sudan to seek refuge into Chad. IOM estimates that 98 770 of them are Chadian returnees. Before April 2023, the eastern provinces of Chad along the border with Sudan hosted approximately 400,000 Sudanese refugees.  

Returnee families, many of whom have lived in Sudan for decades, have no home to return to in Chad and live in dire conditions in spontaneous sites near the Sudan border without access to livelihoods. While host communities have welcomed returnees and other displaced populations, these communities have low socio-economic resilience and are underdeveloped. Furthermore, the recent mass displacement into the east of Chad has significantly strained services and resulted in competition between host communities and displaced populations over scarce resources. 

By using a community stabilization approach, this new initiative will implement crucial measures towards integrating those in situations of protracted and more recent displacement into the host communities in which they reside, as well as bolstering the resilience of the host communities. This will be achieved through the improvement of infrastructures in selected communities through community-based planning processes designed to ensure interventions are locally driven, participatory, and inclusive of both returnee and host communities. 

“We believe that this project will contribute to the well-being and building resilience of Chadian people, who have shown immense generosity to host one of the largest refugee camps following the on-going crisis”, said H.E.M. Nozomu TAKAOKA, Ambassador of Japan in Cameroon accredited to Chad and the Central African Republic. 

In Eastern Chad, IOM coordinates the humanitarian response to the influx of returnees from Sudan. Over 71,000 people have been reached by the Organization’s relief efforts including multipurpose cash assistance, shelter, non-food assistance, and protection including mental health and psychosocial support. 

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For more information, please contact:

Francois-Xavier Ada, Public Information Officer. Email: fadaaffana@iom.int.