Chad Teeters on Famine as Cholera Threat Grows

Chad is confronting a cascading humanitarian disaster in its eastern regions, where acute food shortages coincide with a rising risk of cholera, UN officials have warned. At a UN briefing in Geneva on 13 June, François Batalingaya, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Chad, urged the global community to act decisively as millions face worsening hunger and potential disease outbreak.

The country is enduring its sixth successive year of food insecurity, with 3.3 million people anticipated to be unable to feed themselves during the current lean season—a fourfold increase over the past decade. Extreme climate shocks, including last year’s floods that devastated nearly 400,000 acres of farmland and displaced millions, have exacerbated the crisis. This vulnerability has been compounded by the influx of more than 850,000 Sudanese refugees fleeing the conflict next door, joining 400,000 already in Chad—tripling refugee numbers in just two years.

Batalingaya reported that nearly 300,000 refugees remain stranded at border zones such as Adré, enduring overcrowded conditions with insufficient shelter, water or healthcare. Ten‑kilometre‑distant El Geneina in Sudan has already recorded cholera cases, heightening fears that the disease could spread into Chadian camps. World Health Organization Representative Shible Sahbani confirmed that cholera has claimed 1,854 lives across 13 Sudanese states, including those bordering Chad, and stressed that without enhanced prevention, disease surveillance and vaccination, overflow into Chad is highly probable.

Humanitarian infrastructure in Chad is stretched to breaking point. Clinics are overwhelmed, and access to clean water is severely limited—many communities receive just five litres per person daily, far below the recommended 15 litres. This drastic scarcity, coupled with unsanitary living conditions, amplifies the risk of a cholera outbreak. As Batalingaya cautioned, “In overcrowded, unsanitary conditions, a potential outbreak could be devastating”.

Despite UN and 65 partner organisations rolling out an emergency response plan, funding remains woefully inadequate. Of the US $1.4 billion required, only 9.3 percent has been secured—leaving lifesaving operations under-resourced halfway through the year. This shortfall threatens to undermine efforts to deliver food, water, shelter, and disease surveillance.

While WHO reports a decline in case fatality rates in Sudan following this month’s oral cholera vaccination campaign, authorities emphasise that preventive measures must be extended across borders. WHO’s Sahbani has urged for humanitarian corridors and temporary ceasefires to facilitate mass vaccination and improve sanitation—vital to arresting the spread of cholera as well as dengue and malaria.

The crisis is particularly dire for children: UNICEF estimates that more than half a million Chadian children face the risk of severe acute malnutrition in 2025, with access to therapeutic feed compromised. Nutrition teams are struggling under pressure, and further disease outbreaks could lead to catastrophic child mortality.

Chad has upheld its responsibility by keeping its borders open and sharing scarce resources. However, Batalingaya made clear that this generosity cannot be sustained without immediate and amplified international support. The dual emergency of food crisis and potential cholera outbreak signals a critical juncture: without substantial and timely funding-increase, weakened services and failing coordination threaten to tip a fragile region into irreversible calamity.