Amné Moustapha is on the verge of giving birth at a refugee camp in distant eastern Chad. Her contractions are dizzying, and in the sweltering heat, her feet swell. Her husband is constructing a cabin out of sticks and twine to house their soon-to-be-born child.
Moustapha, 28, departed her hamlet of Tibelti in neighbouring Sudan eight days ago, joining the hundreds who have fled the north African nation since conflict between opposing groups erupted two weeks ago.
However, many of the countries hosting new arrivals, including Chad, are dealing with their own issues, such as food shortages, drought, and high prices, resulting in a humanitarian crisis beyond Sudan’s borders that international organisations are attempting to contain.
“I’m at a loss for what to do.” I’ve heard there are midwives, but numerous women have given birth without medical aid since we sought sanctuary here. “I’m waiting,” Moustapha murmured, her belly expanding under her blue robe as she sat in the shade of a tree, her lone refuge from the afternoon heat and the nocturnal winds.
Moustapha is not the only one. Her husband said that eight other women gave birth without assistance at the Koufroun camp, where temperatures often reach 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit). Rationing is provided by the World Food Programme, but authorities believe additional cash is required.
“We are getting food to the field, but we will need a lot more,” said WFP Chad director Pierre Honnorat. “We really need a lot of help.”
The fighting between Sudan’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces began in Khartoum, where citizens are trapped in their houses and combatants wander the streets.
It has subsequently expanded to other areas, including Moustapha’s Darfur, where the new fighting has reignited a two-decade-old war and simmering bloodshed.
According to the World Food Programme, 10,000 to 20,000 Sudanese have already crossed the border into Chad.
“Several women have given birth here but have no shelter,” Moustapha’s spouse Khamis Asseid Ahmat Haron explained alongside their new home’s incomplete stick structure. “Even to build this simple shelter, it is not accessible to everyone.”
