In this photo essay, Adrien Vautier brings us closer to the daily struggles and resilience of Sudanese refugees fleeing the ongoing civil war. Through powerful images captured in the border city of Adré, Chad, he tells visual stories of people, hardship, and extreme weather.

Stories of Sudanese Refugees Fleeing the War: A Photo Essay by Adrien Vautier
Chaos, suffering, devastation, and loss of homes; but also resilience. This is what photographer Adrien Vautier witnessed in Chad, where Sudanese refugees have fled the ongoing civil war. “During my time in Adré, in eastern Chad, what struck me the most was the incredible resilience of the refugees, despite extremely difficult conditions.”
After nearly two years of civil war in Sudan, the conflict has triggered one of the largest displacement crises in the last decade. As of October 2024, over 3 million Sudanese have fled their country, seeking safety elsewhere.
Among the nations providing refuge, Chad has shouldered a significant share of this burden. The border town of Adré has become a critical entry point for refugees, a place where they are received and then relocated.
Yet, the town already dealing with its own challenges; has become overwhelmed. Basic services like water, healthcare, and food are scarce, and the community is struggling to meet the needs of both residents and the newly arrived refugees.
Adrien traveled to Adré and documented the lives of people in the town. From what he has witnessed firsthand, “daily life is marked by a great deal of hardship.” Access to essential resources is precarious. “Every day, they face basic challenges like access to water, food, and medical care, along with security issues tied to the regional situation. Resources are often limited.”
On top of these struggles, extreme weather conditions compound the difficulties: “The weather, especially the extreme heat and sandstorms, adds another layer of difficulty for everyone. These conditions constantly affect their daily lives, making ordinary tasks like cooking or moving around even more exhausting.”
From what Adrien observed and captured, the conditions of the temporary shelters are far from suitable for extreme weather events like sandstorms: “The camps are basic, often made up of temporary shelters that are not well-suited to the weather conditions, making everything more challenging when temperatures rise, or sandstorms hit.”
In this visual story, Adrien’s lens offers a firsthand account of what life looks like on Sudan’s border for people who have just fled an ongoing war.
Explore Adrein’s visual story with The Game Magazine.












Photos © IMAGO/Le Pictorium/Adrien Vautier
About the Photographer
Adrien Vautier is a French documentary photographer known for capturing social and political issues around the world. His work focuses on resilience in the face of adversity, covering war and crises in regions such as Ukraine, Afghanistan, and Palestine.
In addition to his fieldwork, he co-founded the photography publishing house Nuit Noire and collaborates with IMAGO partner, Le Pictorium.