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Jun 25, 2026
Analyzed by GPT OSS 120B

Darfur Mothers Starve Under Trees in Chad as Conflict Displaces Thousands

AI Summary
A week after the RSF’s June 15 offensive razed villages in North Darpur, mothers like Thuraya Mukhtar are forced to shelter under trees in Chad’s Iridimi camp, facing hunger and dehydration. Humanitarian agencies report thousands of families arriving daily, while UN warnings warn of a looming famine across Darfur.

Humanitarian Crisis Unfolds in Iridimi Refugee Camp

Under a lone tree in the Iridimi camp, Thuraya Mukhtar, a 45‑year‑old mother from Orchi, Sudan, describes two days without food and an uncertain night ahead. Her story epitomises the daily reality of thousands of displaced women and children who fled the RSF onslaught and now survive on scant shade, contaminated water and leaves.

RSF Offensive Sparks Mass Displacement from Orchi

On June 15, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) launched a coordinated assault on the Orchi area of North Darfur, burning ten villages, looting markets and destroying livestock. The attack forced residents to cross into eastern Chad, where they now live in open‑air camps without shelter, food or medicine.

Scale of Displacement and Resource Shortages

  • Camp officials report up to 80 families arriving each day.
  • In the past two days, the Tine Emergency Room received more than 7,000 displaced families.
  • The UN FAO and WFP warned that 19.5 million Sudanese face acute food insecurity, with famine threatening 14 areas across Darfur.

Regional and International Implications of Forced Displacement

Sudanese Sovereign Council member Salah Rassas Adam Tour argues the RSF’s tactics constitute a “systematic demographic change” aimed at reshaping the region’s ethnic composition. Continuous drone patrols further prevent civilians from returning, while local humanitarian networks in Chad strain under the influx, raising concerns of a broader regional destabilisation.

Outlook: Humanitarian Needs and Prospects for Intervention

Humanitarian actors stress the urgent need for tents, blankets, safe drinking water and nutrition kits. International attention is growing, but concrete intervention remains limited. If aid does not scale rapidly, the UN‑cited famine could materialise, deepening the crisis and potentially prompting a larger refugee wave into neighbouring countries.