I am an underage Sudanese refugee who had to trade sex for medicine

Since Sudan’s civil war broke out in April 2023, millions of civilians have been caught in the crossfire. Three years on, more than 8 million people remain internally displaced, and more than 940,000 Sudanese, most of them from the western Darfur region, have fled to neighboring Chad. But while the refugees have been welcomed, they have not found safe haven. Humanitarian aid efforts struggle to provide adequate housing, sanitation, and medicine. And women and children are vulnerable to sexual exploitation, including by aid workers. One underage girl at Chad’s Adré refugee camp tells how she traded sex for medicine.

Ziller Djerambete

3 months ago
July 12, 2026

9 min read

Sex & Gender

Sudanese refugees at Adré camp in eastern Chad, where families displaced by war rely on humanitarian aid for food and medical care.

Sudanese refugees living in Adré camp in eastern Chad depend on humanitarian assistance after fleeing the conflict in Sudan. Photo courtesy of Doctors Without Borders (MSF).

Journalist’s notes

Ziller Djérambété, July 2026

Sudanese refugees in Chad exploited for sex

Sudan’s civil war has become a war on civilians, and even women and children who fled to neighboring Chad have not found safety.
When civil war broke out in Sudan in April 2023 between two rival factions of the military government – the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) – the Northeast African country’s western Darfur quickly became the epicenter of the conflict.
Chad, which shares an extensive border with the Darfur region, welcomed refugees. And by July 2026, more than 940,000 Sudanese arrivals had been registered in Chad, according to the UNHCR. Chad’s government and international humanitarian organizations continue to work to provide food, healthcare, protection, and other essential services. But the massive influx of what the UN’s International Office of Migration calls the world’s largest humanitarian and displacement crisis has strained resources.
Refugees often live in dismal and unsanitary conditions, with aid agencies struggling to provide adequate housing and clean water supplies. Existing in such conditions has left refugees vulnerable to exploitation, including sexual abuse of women and children.
In June 2026, a major scandal emerged when an internal Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) investigation revealed that 59 serious allegations of sexual exploitation as well as abuse and harassment had been reported by Sudanese women against MSF staffers in eastern Chad in 2024.
MSF, which provides medical humanitarian assistance around the world and is also known as Doctors Without Borders, subsequently announced that following its investigation 18 local and international staff members were dismissed and barred from working with the organization.
But sexual exploitation of Sudanese refugees goes far beyond the 2024 incidents investigated by MSF. The UNHCR has recorded more than 3,300 reported incidents of violence against women and girls who live in Chad as refugees, including rape, physical assault, denial of resources, and emotional abuse.
And Chad’s government has linked a spike in gender-based violence in 2024 to the influx of Sudanese refugees. Those findings led to the establishment of an integrated care center at Chad’s refugee camp in Adré, located just kilometers from the border with Sudan, to provide psychosocial and legal support for refugees.
That’s where we found an underaged Sudanese refugee who alleges she was lured into sex for medicine by a pharmacist associated with MSF. Orato First-Person News has agreed to shield her identity, referring to her only as N.A., due to her fears of repercussions and her status as an underaged victim of sexual abuse.

MORE ABOUT THE INTERVIEW SUBJECT

N.A. is a 17-year-old Sudanese refugee who arrived at the camp in Adré, eastern Chad, three years ago when civil war broke out. Like many Sudanese refugees, she is dependent on humanitarian assistance to get by.
It is not clear if her allegations of sexual exploitation by a medical worker associated with MSF were among those investigated by the organization. But in interviews with Orato First-Person News, N.A. alleges that a pharmacist working with MSF tricked her into having sex with him at the age of 16 in exchange for medicine for her mother and other family members.
N.A. says she received psychological and medical support after reporting what happened. She is now speaking publicly because she fears other girls in refugee camps may stay silent because they depend on humanitarian assistance and fear losing access to essential services.

I am a refugee of Sudan’s ongoing civil war – and a victim of sexual abuse at the hands of an international aid worker who was supposed to help me. I can tell you that I am a 17-year-old girl, but out of fear of repercussions I will only give you the first initials of my name: N.A.

My family and I fled our homeland in Northeast Africa in April 2023, when fighting reached western Sudan’s Darfur region. Like hundreds of thousands of others, we crossed into neighboring Chad, hoping to find a safe place to get a new start.

Today, I live with my family at a refugee transit camp in Adré. But even when you escape war, life remains hard. Aid agencies do what they can to help, providing food, medical care, and education. But the needs are immense, the wait for relief is long, and we are all vulnerable.

Many try to help us. But some, even those from the humanitarian staff working at the camp, take advantage of that vulnerability. I should know – I was duped into exchanging sex for medicine for my family.

An aid worker duped me into providing sex for medicine

About a year ago, a young pharmacist from Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) began taking an interest in me. At first, he was generous when dispensing tuberculosis medication for my mother and the rest of the family. He would help us more than others by giving us extra medicine. We had very little, and that help meant a lot to us.

Then things changed.

One day, he brought medicine for my sick mother. She suffers from tuberculosis, and the rest of us take medicine as a preventative measure. But on this day, he told me he wanted to have a relationship with me. I refused. I was uncomfortable. I didn’t want a relationship. I was 16.

After I refused, his behavior changed. It became harder to get help, and I felt constant pressure, knowing my mother needed the medication. When it was his turn to dispense the medicine, we almost never got it.

He kept saying he loved me, that he wanted to marry me, and that he would take care of me and find me a decent job. At my age, away from my home country and in a very precarious situation, I came to believe his promises. I thought he was sincere.

I also thought that perhaps this was the price to pay for my family to get the medical support they needed.

Temporary shelters and a Doctors Without Borders medical facility at Adré refugee camp in eastern Chad.

He said he loved me, and I finally gave in

For several months, he had sex with me. Sometimes he would give me money, gifts, or extra medicine. Initially, I thought he was helping me. Now, I realise he was taking advantage of me and my situation.

The hardest part was when he started showing interest in my older sister, too. He made it clear that we would get more medical aid if we agreed to his demands. It became obvious I wasn’t special to him and that his intentions weren’t what he claimed. I had been deceived.

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I thought this kind of situation was normal. He had led me to believe that it happened to many women and girls in the camps. I didn’t know we had the right to report such behavior, and I didn’t know there were mechanisms in place to protect us.

For a long time, I kept quiet. Then I spoke out

Eventually, I found the courage to tell my family. My mother was the first person I confided in. Instead of judging me, she supported me. My family encouraged me to report what I had been through. With their help, we reported the incidents to the authorities.

At first, I was afraid I wouldn’t be believed. I feared consequences and reprisals. But several people knew about the situation, and their accounts backed up my story. My sister refused to succumb to the pharmacist’s pressure, and she seized the opportunity to denounce her abuser.

Today, the person I accused no longer works at the camp.

Even though that decision brought me relief, the wounds remain. This experience has left a deep mark on my life. I did receive psychological support and medical care. I am trying to move forward, but some things are not easily forgotten.

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I often think of the other girls who are still living in silence. Many are afraid. Some fear losing the medical aid their families depend on. Others dread threats or the judgment of others. I understand that fear, because I felt it myself.

I am sharing my story today because I want things to change. Refugees need protection, respect, and dignity. No one should have to choose between their safety and their survival.

My message to other victims is simple: Speak out. Even if you think no one will listen, even if you have no proof, confide in someone you trust. Silence protects the perpetrators, not the victims.

I chose to speak out. And I hope my voice can help others find the courage to do the same.

FAQs

What risks do Sudanese refugees in Chad face?

The UNHCR has identified dependence on humanitarian assistance among women and children as a factor that can increase vulnerability to sexual exploitation and abuse. Its 2025 report on Chad recorded more than 3,300 reported incidents of violence against women and girls across the country, including rape, physical assault, denial of resources, and emotional abuse. The problem also involves aid agencies working to help refugees. In June 2026, an internal Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) investigation reported 59 allegations of sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse by staff members in Chad.

How many Sudanese refugees are living in Chad?

According to UNHCR data, more than 940,000 Sudanese refugees have crossed into Chad since the civil war began in April 2023.

Why are Sudanese refugees fleeing to Chad?

Sudanese refugees are fleeing the war that began in April 2023 between two rival factions of the military government – the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Chad is a major destination because it has welcomed refugees and borders Sudan’s western Darfur region, which is the epicenter of the civil war.

Where are Sudanese refugees staying in Chad?

Most Sudanese refugees are staying in eastern Chad. Many have been moved from border and transit areas into established refugee settlements. As of July 2026, about 68% of registered refugees had been relocated to organised settlement sites.
Adré, in Ouaddaï Province, is one of the key entry points for refugees arriving from Sudan and has also been an important humanitarian hub.

What humanitarian assistance is available to Sudanese refugees in Chad?

Humanitarian agencies provide emergency shelter, food and other relief supplies, water and sanitation services, healthcare, education, and protection. UNHCR coordinates the refugee response with the Chadian government, UN agencies, and humanitarian organizations.