Chad Synopsis:

After decades of oppression and increasing violence at the hands of the Sudanese Government, rebels in Darfur took up arms in 2003. The government and allied militia known as the Janjaweed, answered the rebellion with large-scale murder of civilians, mass rapes of women and girls and destruction of villages. Four years on, an estimated 400,000 people have been killed and 2.5million displaced in Darfur. This has resulted in one of the world's largest current political and humanitarian crises.

From the beginning of the conflict thousands of Darfurians immediately started crossing the border into neighbouring Chad, seeking shelter from the marauding militias. There are currently over 230,000 Sudanese living in 12 camps in the Eastern desert, with new arrivals every day. With limited access to water and temperatures regularly reaching 50c, this region remains one of the most inhospitable places on earth.

Compounding the existing humanitarian emergency in Chad, between 2006 and 2007 increased inter-ethnic conflict within Chad and cross border raids by Sudanese militia has led to the internal displacement of over180,000 Chadian civilians, putting a further strain on local resources and the aid community.