As Sudan's warring generals make and break the ceasefire, thousands continue to flee the country. People from the violence-stricken region of Darfur seek help and hope, especially in Chad.
Bornon Khamis Haroun remembers the wonderful things she had: a lovely home with nice cushions and her own bed to sleep in. Then overnight, her country, Sudan, turned into a war zone, forcing the 25-year-old to flee.
Just over a month after heavy fighting broke out across Sudan, Harun left Kangaharaza, a village in her home state of Western Darfur, with her five children. They walked for two days and crossed the border into Chad without crossing the border except their clothes.
A shelter in a camp in Borota, a village in the hot, arid region of eastern Chad, is a far cry from the family's previous life. The structure consists only of branches dug into the ground, covered with colored fabric, and at best, it can be described as a tent.
Sitting in her new home, Harlan opened his heart. "My husband was killed." She said succinctly. "In the bushes, he went to look for firewood and was killed."
In Darfur, streets are empty and critical infrastructure is being damaged as fighting continues to force locals to flee
Another Darfur crisis
Harlan and her children are just a fraction of the hundreds of thousands of people forced to flee Sudan for neighboring countries. Some 259,000 people have fled the country since the fighting began, while another 1.8 million have been displaced within Sudan, according to the UN migrant agency.
Despite the fragile truce signed last week, fighting between the heads of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Force (RSF) has turned into a humanitarian crisis. The truce is due to expire Monday night.
Chadian locals like this villager near Tomma's camp fear that the influx of refugees from Sudan could lead to shortages
Much of the fighting between the two factions has raged in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, and in Darfur, where most of those who fled to Chad, such as Harun originated. Darfur remains in a volatile region where the civil war began in April, still emerging from past violence.
Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed in Darfur since 2003, when Arab militias first used the non-Arab population to suppress a rebellion against Sudan's former dictator, Omar al-Bashir.
But with the recent surge in violence, Darfur has once again become a flashpoint of crisis. The United Nations said at least 96 people died in Western Darfur alone, with militias reportedly looting and destroying entire villages.
Limited resources
Haroun is a new addition to Camp Borota compared to others. Women and children have been pouring into the border since the fighting began in Sudan.
Haroun has not registered at the camp, so she cannot receive food assistance. Now she has to rely on the generosity of her neighbors, and their own possessions are scarce.
Aid agencies say at least 60,000 Sudanese are currently in Chad alone, many of whom have not yet been registered. Camp Borota is currently the largest in the camp network, with more than half of the newcomers living there.
The resources of people like Harlan are limited; There was a well dug by aid agencies to provide water for the refugees, but it was always crowded. Women cook meager meals over an open fire in front of makeshift tents.
Elsewhere, it's even worse.
Chadians are also suffering
Among those seeking safety in Chad are Chadian nationals who have lived in the Sudan for many years. Since they are originally from Chad, they are not refugees, as most humanitarian aid is concentrated on Sudanese refugees.
In a camp in TomToma village, a few hours away, some 7,000 returning Chadians are struggling to weather the storm. A fast-drying well is their main source of water, and food aid has been delayed.
Recently, a mobile clinic opened, but it was crowded with mothers seeking malaria treatment for their children.
Despite the harsh conditions, many said they would not return to Sudan as long as there was no peace.
"My only wish is for them to help us settle here permanently," said Saadi Ija, a mother of three. "What is happening is terrible."
Medical services in Tomtoma camp are limited because many children continue to contract malaria
One by one, the refugees were
WFP coordinator Bachiaka Singare said there were severe funding shortfalls even before the civil war, and these are now affecting the current situation.
"I think this is one of the most pressing crises right now, and you really have to be sensitive to where you deploy your means." Otherwise lives will be in danger. Singare said. And now, we don't even have a way. ”
Since the Darfur crisis first erupted two decades ago, refugee camps have sprung up throughout Chad. They now host some 400,000 refugees, many of whom are still almost entirely dependent on aid.
The camps have long been semi-permanent settlements and remain underfunded.
Refugees from Sudan, such as this woman and her son in the Borota camp, do not know what the future holds
Between life and death
Closing the funding gap will not be easy, as Chad's capacity to care for people fleeing violence in the Sudan is declining.
Above all, Singare says, sites with adequate housing infrastructure need to be established in safer areas as more people try to flee the conflict.
He stressed that refugee camps in Chad are so close to Sudan that refugees have been running back and forth to collect their personal belongings from the same volatile village from which they originally fled.
Last week, an aid official who was not officially authorized to speak to the media told DW that a refugee who ventured across the border to return to Sudan had been killed.
Harlan said that despite the difficulties ahead, she will focus on rebuilding her life.
"The war made me run away from home," Harlan said, her voice trembling a little.
She wiped away her tears and admitted: "I don't know what to do. ”