Chad reverses ban, will let Sudanese refugees take national exams

June 25, 2025 (N’DJAMENA) – Chad will allow thousands of Sudanese refugee students to sit for their national school certificate exams on its territory, its foreign ministry said, reversing a previous ban following an appeal from a top Sudanese official.

The Chadian government announced its approval on Tuesday for the postponed 2024 exams to be held, with the new date set for June 29. Last December, it had refused to let some 6,000 students, mostly from Sudan’s conflict-torn West Darfur region, take the tests.

The decision was conveyed by Chad’s Foreign Minister, Abdoulaye Sabre Fadoul, to Sudan’s new Chargé d’Affaires in N’Djamena, Ahmed Jamal, according to a statement by the Chadian foreign ministry. Fadoul asked the Sudanese diplomat to coordinate with Chad’s education ministry and U.N. agencies to facilitate the process.

The reversal comes after the governor of Sudan’s Darfur region, Minni Arko Minawi, publicly appealed this week to Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Deby to allow the students to take their exams. Minawi had previously described Chad’s initial refusal as “unfortunate”.

Chad hosts more than a million Sudanese refugees who have fled widespread atrocities, particularly those committed by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) against the Masalit ethnic group in West Darfur.

The decision signals a potential thaw in relations between the two countries, which have been strained by accusations from Sudan that Chad has been a conduit for weapons supplied by the United Arab Emirates to the RSF.

Observers say tensions between the two countries have eased in recent weeks after Chad appeared to reduce its support for the RSF, recently announcing the seizure of military uniforms, drones, and other supplies destined for the paramilitary group.