UNHCR: More Than 100,000 Flee to Chad from Sudan Conflict

A Sudanese refugee woman, who fled the violence in Sudan's Darfur region and newly arrived, walks as she jokes with her relatives, in a yard of a Chadian's family house where she takes refuge, near the border between Sudan and Chad in Koufroun, Chad May 14, 2023. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra
A Sudanese refugee woman, who fled the violence in Sudan's Darfur region and newly arrived, walks as she jokes with her relatives, in a yard of a Chadian's family house where she takes refuge, near the border between Sudan and Chad in Koufroun, Chad May 14, 2023. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra
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UNHCR: More Than 100,000 Flee to Chad from Sudan Conflict

A Sudanese refugee woman, who fled the violence in Sudan's Darfur region and newly arrived, walks as she jokes with her relatives, in a yard of a Chadian's family house where she takes refuge, near the border between Sudan and Chad in Koufroun, Chad May 14, 2023. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra
A Sudanese refugee woman, who fled the violence in Sudan's Darfur region and newly arrived, walks as she jokes with her relatives, in a yard of a Chadian's family house where she takes refuge, near the border between Sudan and Chad in Koufroun, Chad May 14, 2023. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra

More than 100,000 people have fled violence in Sudan to neighboring Chad and the numbers could double in the next three months, the UN refugee agency said on Thursday.

The near seven-week conflict has pushed Sudan into a humanitarian crisis and turned one of Africa's greatest cities - the three-part capital of Khartoum, Omdurman and Bahri on the confluence on the Blue and White Niles - into a war zone.

"As the rainy season is coming within the next few weeks, we require massive logistics to move refugees from border areas... We need to establish immediately new camps and extension of existing camps," UNHCR Chad representative Laura Lo Castro said.

One of the poorest countries in the world, Chad was already hosting close to 600,000 refugees before conflict broke out in Sudan in April.

UNHCR said it needs $214.1 million to provide vital services to displaced people, in the country, which is currently 16% funded.



US Defers Removal of Some Lebanese, Citing Israel-Hezbollah Tensions

Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
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US Defers Removal of Some Lebanese, Citing Israel-Hezbollah Tensions

Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)

The United States is deferring the removal of certain Lebanese citizens from the country, President Joe Biden said on Friday, citing humanitarian conditions in southern Lebanon amid tensions between Israel and Hezbollah.

The deferred designation, which lasts 18 months, allows Lebanese citizens to remain in the country with the right to work, according to a memorandum Biden sent to the Department of Homeland Security.

"Humanitarian conditions in southern Lebanon have significantly deteriorated due to tensions between Hezbollah and Israel," Biden said in the memo.

"While I remain focused on de-escalating the situation and improving humanitarian conditions, many civilians remain in danger; therefore, I am directing the deferral of removal of certain Lebanese nationals who are present in the United States."

Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah have been trading fire since Hezbollah announced a "support front" with Palestinians shortly after its ally Hamas attacked southern Israeli border communities on Oct. 7, triggering Israel's military assault in Gaza.

The fighting in Lebanon has killed more than 100 civilians and more than 300 Hezbollah fighters, according to a Reuters tally, and led to levels of destruction in Lebanese border towns and villages not seen since the 2006 Israel-Lebanon war.

On the Israeli side, 10 Israeli civilians, a foreign agricultural worker and 20 Israeli soldiers have been killed. Tens of thousands have been evacuated from both sides of the border.