A woman with her face veiled is holding a young girl whose back is facing the camera. Lacham cradles Helwa, a girl who was sexually assaulted by a neighbor while they were sheltering in the Adre transit camp. Image: Al Jazeera.
(The Post News)– The humanitarian crisis in Sudan has displaced millions, leaving women and children particularly vulnerable.
In el-Geneina, 22-year-old Islam prepared for her exams when an airstrike struck her home. After surviving the attack, members of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) abducted her, threatening to execute her family if she did not comply with their demands.
The 22-year-old claims that she was taken to a remote village, imprisoned, and repeatedly assaulted for two days. She said that the trauma triggered chronic asthma, which she had never experienced before. By the time they released her, her home had been ransacked, and her siblings had disappeared.
She eventually reunited with her mother, three sisters, and two brothers in Adre, Chad. Her father and another brother remain in Sudan, held by RSF fighters. The family constructed a temporary shelter from salvaged fabric, straw, and plastic.
Meanwhile, aid organizations document widespread gender-based violence in the camp. They also assert that the humanitarian crisis in Sudan ensures that security remains inconsistent, leaving women exposed to repeated risks of assault.
Sexual Assault Has Become a Norm in the Camps
18-year-old Roua, who fled El Geneina after RSF fighters torched her village, says she is raising a child who is a product of rape. She said that during the attack on her village, two of her brothers, her uncle, and three neighbors died in the attack.
According to her, she was abducted and raped for two days, together with eight other girls who were her classmates. Two years later, Roua still struggles with trauma while caring for her nine-month-old daughter, whose father, a Chadian police officer, also sexually assaulted her.
Refugees continue to face danger even after crossing into Chad. Women report sexual exploitation when working for locals or collecting water and firewood. Hanan, a woman gathering firewood, was raped near the camp. Humanitarian organizations, including the Red Cross, offer psychological support, but funding cuts limit their reach. United Nations (UN) data shows that only 20 percent of necessary funds reached refugee programs in eastern Chad in 2025.
Lacham, 35, fled Nyala with her five children after RSF fighters seized her husband. She returned twice to Sudan in search of him. In Adre, she built a small community with neighbors until her three-year-old daughter, Helwa, was assaulted by a man inside the camp.
Helwa now exhibits trauma symptoms, including nightmares, fear, and behavioral regression. Lacham reported the assault to police, but the perpetrator remains free, highlighting gaps in protection and accountability.
Rising Trauma and Security Concerns
Aid workers report significant psychological impacts on survivors. Children and adults show signs of post-traumatic stress, including anxiety, insomnia, and aggression. The trauma intensifies when refugees lose hope of security or reunification with their families. In some cases, children require relocation to N’Djamena for specialized care, underscoring how the humanitarian crisis in Sudan continues to devastate both physical and mental health.
Local authorities insist the camp is secure, but refugees report rising gang activity, including theft, drugs, and sexual assault. The Colombians, a notorious gang, intimidate women, forcing them to avoid leaving shelters after dark. Aid workers emphasize that single mothers and households without protective family networks are most at risk.
Addressing the humanitarian crisis in Sudan requires immediate and sustained international action. Governments and humanitarian agencies must provide safe shelters, medical care, mental health support, and legal recourse. Accountability for armed groups is crucial to protect civilians. Without these measures, displaced families remain trapped in cycles of abuse, fear, and insecurity.
The international community must prioritize both relief and long-term protection. Ending the humanitarian crisis in Sudan means securing refugee settlements, addressing trauma, supporting women and children, and holding perpetrators accountable. Survivors’ testimonies underline that justice is as urgent as basic humanitarian aid.
With limited aid, shrinking resources, and escalating violence, refugees in Adre face daily uncertainty. Survivors like Islam, Roua, and Lacham continue to live in fear, grappling with trauma while seeking safety. For them, justice remains distant, and the international community’s inaction only deepens the hardship of the Sudan refugee crisis.
For Islam, Hanan, Helwa, Lacham, and Roua, names used to protect their identities, the nightmare of displacement, assault, and fear continues. Far from home, they face a daily struggle for safety, dignity, and the chance to rebuild their lives.
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