What is the situation in Chad and Sudan where Duchess of Edinburgh is visiting?

The Duchess of Edinburgh has travelled to Chad in central Africa to raise awareness of the situation in the neighbouring country of Sudan.

She visited Adre, on the border of the two countries, where hundreds of refugees are crossing daily to flee conflict.

Here, the PA news agency takes a look at what is happening in the region.

– What is the situation in Sudan?

Civil war broke out in April 2023 after a power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and paramilitary group the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

As well as the violence, those living in the country are facing extreme shortages of food, water, medicine and fuel.

According to the UN refugee agency, Sudan is the world’s largest hunger crisis, with over half of the country’s population – nearly 26 million people – facing high levels of acute hunger.

– How is Chad affected?

Since the start of the conflict, 870,000 refugees and returnees have crossed the border from Sudan into Chad, one of the poorest countries in the world.

The border crossing in Adre, which reopened to aid in August, sees hundreds of people cross every day.

More than 220,000 people are living in refugee camps in Adre, mostly women and children.

– How have women been affected by the conflict?

The war in Sudan is having a disproportionate impact on women and girls, including through conflict-related sexual violence.

The UN estimates 6.7 million people are at risk of gender-based violence in Sudan.

The Duchess of Edinburgh said during her discussions with women, she was told of “devastating” experiences and of rape being used in exchange for food or water.

– Why have I not heard more about it?

People are calling for more attention to be given to Sudan, as conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine dominate the headlines.

During her visit, the duchess said she hoped to “continue to shine a light” on the “human catastrophe”.

– What happens next?

There is no sign of an end to the conflict in Sudan.

The UN has called for humanitarian funding to be scaled up.

According to the Duchess of Edinburgh, some organisations had seen budgets cut because money was being sent elsewhere.

She called it a “human catastrophe” and said: “We’ve got to keep the attention on this.”