World Bank announces $340 mln support for Chad over refugees, other crises

The United Nations on Monday said it expected over 1.8 million people from Sudan to arrive in five neighbouring countries by the end of the year and appealed for $1 billion to help them amid reports of rising disease and death rates.

The World Bank on Friday announced $340 million in new financing to help Chad address several crises, including $90 million to respond to the influx of refugees fleeing conflict in neighbouring Sudan, it said in a statement.

The funding comes on top of more than $235 million in ongoing financing to support refugees and host communities in Chad. More than more than 400,000 Sudanese and Chadian nationals from Darfur have fled to eastern Chad since the war broke out in April, the World Bank said.

The arrivals have intensified the need for humanitarian assistance in one of the world's poorest countries and put pressure on natural resources. "The influx of refugees, coupled with weak harvest and the compounding effects of climate change will drive up food insecurity in the coming months," the statement said.

Chad was already hosting close to 600,000 refugees before conflict broke out in Sudan in April. The United Nations on Monday said it expected over 1.8 million people from Sudan to arrive in five neighbouring countries by the end of the year and appealed for $1 billion to help them amid reports of rising disease and death rates.

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