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.



Sources to Asharq Al-Awsat: Israel Nearly Killed 2 of its Hostages in Gaza

Smoke rises after an explosion in the northern Gaza Strip, ahead of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, as seen from the Israeli side of the border, January 16, 2025. REUTERS/Amir Cohen
Smoke rises after an explosion in the northern Gaza Strip, ahead of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, as seen from the Israeli side of the border, January 16, 2025. REUTERS/Amir Cohen
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Sources to Asharq Al-Awsat: Israel Nearly Killed 2 of its Hostages in Gaza

Smoke rises after an explosion in the northern Gaza Strip, ahead of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, as seen from the Israeli side of the border, January 16, 2025. REUTERS/Amir Cohen
Smoke rises after an explosion in the northern Gaza Strip, ahead of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, as seen from the Israeli side of the border, January 16, 2025. REUTERS/Amir Cohen

Israel nearly killed two of its captives held by Hamas in an airstrike on Gaza City, Palestinian sources told Asharq Al-Awsat on Thursday.

The sources, which are from resistance factions, said that the two captives were injured as a result of the Israeli bombardment targeting a house in one of Gaza City's neighborhoods. The sources refused to disclose the conditions of the captives, the severity of their injuries, or their identities.

However, the sources indicated that the hostages received the necessary treatment and were moved to a safe location after the Israeli airstrike.

A truce in the Gaza Strip, announced by mediators Qatar and the United States on Wednesday, would take effect on Sunday and involve the exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners, after which the terms of a permanent end to the war would be finalized.

Hamas confirmed on Thursday that Israel targeted a site where a hostage was located. The Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, said that an Israeli airstrike targeted a location where a female hostage was present after the ceasefire agreement was announced.

The spokesperson for the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades did not reveal details about the fate of the captive after the airstrike.

"The enemy’s military targeted a place where one of the female captives included in the first stage of the upcoming deal was located," he said.

"Any aggression or bombing at this stage by the enemy can turn a prisoner’s freedom into a tragedy," the spokesperson added.