IMAGO/Le Pictorium

Stories of Sudanese Refugees Fleeing the War: A Photo Essay by Adrien Vautier

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.

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.

Sudanese Refugees
IMAGO / Le Pictorium / Adrien Vautier | Sudanese refugees fleeing the Sudan War arrived in Adre, Chad. These Al Fasher refugees reached the Adre transit camp only a few days ago and are now receiving humanitarian support. June 18, 2024.
Sudanese Refugees
IMAGO / Le Pictorium / Adrien Vautier | An informal Sudanese refugee camp was established in the Koufroun sector near Adre, Chad. June 21, 2024.
Sudanese Refugees
IMAGO / Le Pictorium / Adrien Vautier | Injured Sudanese refugees who fled the Sudan War were receiving care in Adre, Chad. June 22, 2024.
photos of sudan war Sudanese Refugees
IMAGO / Le Pictorium / Adrien Vautier | Jalal Adam Yaya, 46, from Al Genina, was shot in the arm and leg. Gangrene led to the loss of his arm. He has been in Chad since June 2023.
A photo of the border of sudan and chad
IMAGO / Le Pictorium / Adrien Vautier | This tire marks the border between Chad and Sudan in the Adré area. Just behind the line is Sudan, where the civil war began in the spring of 2023. Photo taken on June 22, 2024.
Sudan war
IMAGO / Le Pictorium / Adrien Vautier | This Sudanese child has hydrocephalus, and his family cannot afford the trip to Egypt for treatment. Photographed in the Adré transit camp on June 23, 2024.
photos of Sudanese refugees in Chad
IMAGO / Le Pictorium / Adrien Vautier | A refugee from Al Fasher at the Adré transit camp in Chad on June 18, 2024.
Sudan civil war
IMAGO / Le Pictorium / Adrien Vautier | June 21, 2024: A view of the dry river in the Koufroun area near Adré, Chad. Sudanese refugees are settling nearby, but the late arrival of the rainy season leaves water sources scarce.
acutely malnourished Sudanese child
IMAGO / Le Pictorium / Adrien Vautier | An acutely malnourished Sudanese child in the Médecins Sans Frontières pediatric ward, Adré, Chad, on June 20, 2024.
photos of sudan war refugees
IMAGO / Le Pictorium / Adrien Vautier | This family has just arrived from Sudan, and their baby is suffering from acute malnutrition. Adré border area, Chad, June 22, 2024.
Sudan civil war wmen abuse
IMAGO / Le Pictorium / Adrien Vautier | June 23, 2024: Inès Al Noor, from Al-Genaina, Sudan, has been residing as a refugee in Chad for several months. She continues to travel back to Sudan to care for her father, who was wounded in the conflict. Two months prior, during Ramadan, she was held for eight days by RSF members and sexually abused.
A view of Sudanese refugees camp in Adré, Chad
IMAGO / Le Pictorium / Adrien Vautier | June 22, 2024: A view of Sudanese refugees camp in Adré, Chad.

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.

See Adrien Vautier’s full collection, Sudanese Refugees in Chad, with IMAGO here.

Stories of Sudanese Refugees Fleeing the War: A Photo Essay by Adrien Vautier