Chad

Introduction

Chad, one of the world’s poorest countries, faces low development, limited social services, and climate hazards. 

Humanitarian needs are soaring due to a mass influx of refugees and returning Chadians from Sudan, a protracted crisis in the Lake Province, and unprecedented food insecurity. 

In this complex crisis, the EU has stepped up its humanitarian support, providing protection and emergency aid for forcibly displaced people, life-saving treatment for undernourished children, food assistance, and interventions to reduce environmental risks. 

Facts & figures

Through its humanitarian efforts, the EU provides vital support to those most in need. The numbers relative to the influx of refugees and returnees are constantly evolving and subject to change.

EU humanitarian funding:

What are the needs?

Chad faces overlapping natural and manmade humanitarian crises, with 4.5 million people needing humanitarian aid in 2026.

A growing humanitarian crisis

Even before Sudan’s war erupted in April 2023, Chad hosted one of the region’s largest refugee populations. Since the onset of the crisis in Sudan, 1.3 million refugees and returnees have crossed into Chad, and the total forcibly displaced in the country is now close to 2 million, including over 1.3 million Sudanese refugees, and 392,000 returning Chadians as well as refugees from the Central African Republic, Nigeria and Cameroon.

According to the November 2025 Cadre Harmonisé analysis (for the period June/August 2026), 2.9 million people (15% of the population) need food assistance (phase 3 and 4), a figure that does not include the food insecure people among Sudanese refugees.

Refugees and pressure on host communities

Chad also hosts refugees from other countries, most notably from the Central African Republic, while conflict in the Lake Chad Basin has driven internal and cross-border displacements since 2015. Epidemics like measles, malaria and hepatitis E are constant threats.

As of April 2026, Chad has opened 9 new camps for Sudanese refugees and extended 14 existing ones, but the influx exceeds capacity, and at least 3 more are required. Failing to meet the vital needs of refugees and vulnerable host populations could fuel inter-community tensions.   

How are we helping?

The EU is one of the main humanitarian aid donors for people in need in Chad. In 2025, we have allocated €79.85 million in humanitarian assistance. 

In response to the war in Sudan

As announced on 15 April at the 3rd International Sudan Conference in Berlin, in 2026 the EU has allocated €60,8 million in humanitarian assistance to refugees and returnees from Sudan in Chad, building upon the constant support over the past 3 years of war.

In the immediate aftermath of the war in Sudan war, the EU swiftly responded by nearly doubling its 2023 allocation of humanitarian aid, organising multiple EU Humanitarian Air Bridge flights to deliver hundreds of tonnes of essential supplies to partners. The EU also rehabilitated the main airstrip in the border town of Adré to facilitate aid deliveries and in partnership with HI/Atlas Logistic, we established a logistics hub in Adré to store and distribute humanitarian supplies. During the 2023 and 2024 rainy seasons, the EU deployed a helicopter, in partnership with the UN Humanitarian Air Service, to access hard-to-reach areas in eastern Chad.

To draw global attention to the crisis, the EU has co-hosted 3 international conferences for Sudan and neighbouring countries in 2024, 2025, and 2026.

In addition to addressing the basic needs of forcibly displaced populations, the EU also responds to sudden emergencies in overcrowded camps and host communities, such as epidemic outbreaks like Hepatitis E or fires destroying shelters and food supplies.

EU humanitarian aid focuses on urgent life-saving support, particularly for newly arrived refugees most of whom are women and children, while strengthening their resilience and promoting peaceful coexistence with host communities.

Nexus approach

EU humanitarian aid is programmed in a Nexus approach. In the East of Chad, ECHO, INTPA and FPI have adopted a joint programming approach aiming at delivering drinking water in a sustainable way, shifting from food assistance to self-reliance, and preserving inter community social cohesion.

In addition, the EU continues to assist people affected by the ongoing violence and attacks in the Lake Chad region, where a worsening humanitarian and security situation is driving new displacements.
In response to the country’s food and nutrition crisis, the EU funds assistance such as cash transfers, vouchers, food rations, ready-to-use therapeutic foods, and essential medicines to treat severely malnourished children.

Key areas of support in Chad include:

• food and nutrition assistance
• protection for vulnerable individuals and families
• health care including nutrition and essential medicines
• water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services
• shelter for displaced populations
  education 
• multisectoral Rapid Response (RRM)
  logistics (air support)

Whenever needed, the EU responds swiftly to new crises while also investing in disaster risk reduction, helping communities become less vulnerable to future shocks.

Finally, the EU funds the United Nations Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) in Chad, with flights that ensure aid workers can reach people in remote or crisis-affected areas.