The refugees are escaping the conflict between Sudan’s government and the Rapid Support Forces. In its Chad emergency update, the U.N. refugee agency described an operational response in which registration and protection services remain central, while severe funding constraints are limiting the capacity to provide them.

Registration capacity has been reduced

Registration is a key early step for people arriving across a border. It helps humanitarian agencies document arrivals and identify protection needs, while also supporting access to assistance and referrals for services.

UNHCR said severe funding cuts had forced it to close two of three registration centers in the response cited in its March 1, 2026, briefing. The agency also warned that reduced funding was affecting protection services.

That does not mean that every refugee in Chad lacks registration or assistance. It does mean that the response has less operational capacity at a time when people continue to cross from Sudan, according to the approved UNHCR updates.

The 936,798 figure covers Sudanese refugees in Chad since April 2023. It is not a total for all people displaced by the Sudan war, and the July 13 update does not provide a precise count of arrivals during its latest reporting window.

A regional response under financial strain

The pressure in Chad is part of a wider regional displacement response. UNHCR said its 2026 regional response plan anticipated 470,000 new refugees arriving in neighboring countries during 2026.

That figure is a planning estimate, not a final count of people who have arrived. The distinction matters because the number of people crossing borders and the resources available to register and assist them can change over time.

For Chad, the practical challenge is concentrated at the border and in reception operations. New arrivals may need documentation, protection screening, health care and other assistance. Reduced registration and humanitarian capacity can make it harder for agencies to carry out those functions consistently, although the source material does not establish that every new arrival is going without them.

The development also matters beyond Chad and Sudan. Refugee registration and protection work are part of the infrastructure through which international agencies and host authorities respond to a continuing conflict. When funding shortages force facilities to close, the immediate effect is a smaller ability to process and assess people arriving from the war.

What happens next

UNHCR’s stated next step is continued regional response activity and an appeal for support for refugees as the war approaches its fourth year. The agency’s March briefing linked the funding shortfall to the closure of registration centers and reduced protection services.

The July 13 update does not announce a new registration deadline, a new aid package or a new casualty total. It also does not independently verify battlefield claims by either Sudanese party. The confirmed development is the scale of the refugee presence recorded in Chad and the strain that funding shortages are placing on registration and protection operations.

For readers following the conflict, the central measure to watch is whether funding allows registration and protection capacity to expand or remain available as people continue fleeing into neighboring countries. For now, UNHCR’s count places the number of Sudanese refugees in Chad since April 2023 at 936,798.