Telegraph: People with disabilities in Sudan face tragic conditions in camps
Moatinoon - Follow-ups
The British newspaper The Telegraph shed light on the war in Sudan and the suffering of people with disabilities and patients fleeing the genocide carried out by the Rapid Support Militia, noting that more than 740,000 refugees fled to Chad to escape the war in Sudan, where they live in crowded camps amid harsh humanitarian conditions, especially for people with disabilities.
The newspaper stated that with the escalation of the conflict between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Militia rebellion and the latters accusations of committing war crimes, the suffering of the displaced has worsened, while the flow of refugees to eastern Chad continued at increasing rates.
The newspaper reported that among the fugitives, people with disabilities found themselves in an extremely difficult situation, as they lack basic assistance, and face daily challenges in moving around and obtaining medical services. In refugee camps, they rely on humanitarian organizations that in turn suffer from a severe shortage of funding, making the support provided insufficient.
In this situation, many have been forced to flee in harsh ways, such as the case of Kaltoum Ismail Abdallah and her sister Hasniya, who were left “like luggage” while fleeing after their father was killed. They were placed on the roof of a truck with their bags, and their belongings were looted at a checkpoint. After arriving in Chad, they had no means of movement other than crawling, before one of them received a wheelchair provided by a humanitarian organization.
In the Farchana camp, Mukhtar Idriss Mohamed Abbas is receiving physiotherapy sessions to help him adapt to his prosthetic leg after he lost it in an armed attack that killed all eight of his children. Despite the improvement in his health, his movement is still limited, preventing him from achieving his dream of continuing to learn languages.
The report concluded that in these conditions, humanitarian organizations face significant challenges in meeting the growing needs of refugees. The Humanity and Inclusion organization, the only organization providing rehabilitation services for people with disabilities in eastern Chad, is suffering from a lack of funding, at a time when relief efforts need urgent international support. According to the United Nations, the humanitarian response plan to assist refugees in Chad is only 30% funded, leaving a deficit of more than 440 million, making the crisis more complex as the refugee influx continues and violence escalates in Sudan.
