Sudanese refugees in Chad are suffering from drastic cuts in U.S. foreign aid, leading to halted support from organizations such as HIAS. Many refugees, including women and children, are facing dire situations without necessary services. U.S. aid reductions have also forced school closures, further exacerbating the crisis.
At the Aboutengue Camp in Chad, many Sudanese refugees, primarily women and children, express urgent need for assistance following severe cuts to U.S. foreign aid, announced in January. Fatehiyya Mohamed Adam, a refugee who fled war in 2023, lamented the loss of support from HIAS, a refugee advocacy NGO, that was ready to provide emergency services but was hindered by these cuts.
The camp serves tens of thousands of refugees, and while HIAS partially resumed operations in March, the future of its programs and funding remains uncertain. A woman who wished to remain anonymous recounted how HIAS had previously assisted her after a domestic violence incident, but now counseling services have been suspended, affecting her and other victims of gender-based violence.
The impact of U.S. aid is pronounced in the camp, where schools run by Jesuit Refugee Services were crucial for over 32,000 students. However, these institutions were forced to close, and while some teachers have resumed volunteering, the situation remains dire as enrollment has significantly declined. As of March, the Trump administration had drastically cut U.S. AID programs by 83% and State Department grants by 40%, claiming they did not align with U.S. interests, resulting in a loss of tens of billions in global assistance.
The humanitarian situation for Sudanese refugees in Chad has worsened due to significant U.S. aid cuts. Refugees, particularly women and children, express desperate needs for assistance as critical support from organizations like HIAS has been interrupted. Educational services have also been severely impacted, highlighting the far-reaching consequences of these funding reductions.
Original Source: www.nytimes.com
