Chad has the largest refugee population in Africa: the fighting and dire humanitarian conditions triggered by the conflict that broke out between rival armies in Sudan in April 2023 have so far caused the displacement of 14 million people, who have taken refuge in the seven countries bordering Chad, according to the UN.

Few places are feeling the effects of the ongoing war as acutely as Chad, which is now the largest African country hosting refugees per capita, according to the UN refugee agency, UNHCR. With 87 per cent of the total refugee population in Chad being women and children, these concerns continue to mount.

Since April 2023, the Government of Chad and UNHCR have helped 67 per cent of those fleeing war-torn Sudan to move to larger, newly established settlements, where refugees and host communities benefit from services provided by humanitarian teams.

‘Chad’s generous reception of refugees is a powerful act of solidarity,’ said UN High Commissioner for Refugees Barham Salih.

Often referred to as the ‘Babel of the world’ because of its more than 200 ethnic groups and 100 languages,

Chad faces multiple challenges.

  • With more than 42 per cent of the population living below the poverty line, the country is among the poorest in the world.
  • Currently, food insecurity affects more than 3.4 million of the country’s approximately 20 million inhabitants. Many families struggle daily with hunger and a lack of basic necessities. Approximately 480,000 children suffer from severe acute malnutrition, and the number is rising.
  • Now home to over 1.5 million refugees, Chad continues to keep its borders with Sudan open, while also facing climate and security shocks.
  • Extremely severe flooding, especially in terms of the number of people affected, 622,550. Their severe impact is mainly due to the early onset of the rainy season in Sudanese and Sahelian areas as a result of climate change.

In the local language, the word Chad means “large body of water” and reflects the cultural importance of Lake Chad, which gives the country its name.

But the lake continues to shrink due to climate change

With a rapidly growing population, Chad far exceeds its resource capacity

Equally worrying is the security landscape.

Violent extremist groups, including Boko Haram and its affiliates, have continued to create insecurity in the Lake Chad basin, displacing over 250,000 people.

In the north, trafficking networks and illegal coal mining overlap withgender-based violence and child labour exploitation.

The presence of the Church

From 25 to 29 January 2026, the capital of Chad hosted the 13th Assembly of Bishops belonging to ACERAC (Association of Episcopal Conferences of the Central African Region). This important ecclesial meeting took place under the theme: “The Challenges of the Church-Family in Africa: 30 Years after Ecclesia in Africa”, thus marking a privileged moment of re-reading, discernment and pastoral projection.

Thirty years after the publication of John Paul II’s apostolic exhortation Ecclesia in Africa (1995), the bishops of Central Africa (Chad, Cameroon, Gabon, Congo-Brazzaville, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea) wanted to take stock of the progress made and reflect on the relevance of the model of the Church-Family of God, which remains one of the most fruitful contributions of the first African Synod. Indeed, in a context marked by profound social, political, economic and cultural changes, this Assembly provided a space for free and fraternal dialogue to listen to the concrete realities experienced by the peoples of the region.

At the conclusion of the proceedings in N’Djamena, the bishops of ACERAC expressed their hope for an African Church that is faithful to its vocation as the family of God, humble and courageous, capable of bearing witness to the Gospel in the midst of the sufferings and aspirations of the peoples.

Thirty years after Ecclesia in Africa, the message remains relevant:

Africa is not only a continent to be evangelised, but also a land that brings gifts to the universal Church.

Text and photo sources: UN, UNHCR, The European Times News