Published on 6/13/2026
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) found a pattern of abuse and sexual exploitation by some local and foreign staff working in Chad along the Sudanese border, in some cases targeting underage girls or involving the exchange of food or jobs for sex with refugee women.
The Associated Press reported that an investigation by Doctors Without Borders – which began in the fall of 2024 and was completed last July – revealed 59 potential violations, and said that 18 employees were dismissed and banned from future work with the organization.
Doctors Without Borders said it launched the investigation in response to reports by the Associated Press that women accused staff of sexually exploiting them in displacement sites in Chad, where hundreds of thousands have fled the devastating war in Sudan, which has now entered its fourth year.
In 2024, the Associated Press revealed cases in Chad, including women who said that people who were supposed to protect them – humanitarian workers and local security forces – offered them money or facilitated access to aid or jobs in exchange for sex.
But the organization said that the findings of its investigation showed that the violations were broader than previously reported.
The 59 allegations of misconduct ranged from sexual harassment to exploitation and abuse. In some cases, the organization was not able to verify some allegations or identify the perpetrators. The report confirmed that some repeated cases of exploitation suggest the possibility of organized “sex trafficking.”
Details of violations
The organization stated that the investigation included several cases of sexual exploitation of refugee women in exchange for food, water and milk. It also monitored cases of sex in exchange for jobs, and the exploitation of refugee women in prostitution, including minor girls. Pointing to a square inside a refugee camp where staff were seen searching for girls, he said that community leaders imposed a curfew to prevent young girls from “visiting” MSF staff.
In an incident mentioned in the report, seven refugee girls, who were allegedly employed as daily wage workers, were placed inside a MSF vehicle and told they were going to water distribution and construction sites. However, the girls were transferred to a different location and were “subjected” to sexual abuse and requests for sex.
In addition, the investigation concluded that some female Chadian employees were threatened with losing their jobs if they refused to have sex with supervisors or colleagues.
The organization indicated that the results reached likely reveal only a small part of the problem, as many women were reluctant to speak frankly.
In focus groups conducted by investigators, women said they often chose to remain silent for fear it would jeopardize their access to care. Some said they did not know they had the right to speak or provide feedback, according to the report.
MSF staff and community leaders told investigators they were afraid to report abuses for fear of losing their jobs or aid.
MSF employs tens of thousands of people in dozens of countries, in jobs ranging from doctors, nurses, midwives and epidemiologists, to human resources, logistics, construction and sanitation specialists. The report did not specify the jobs held by those accused of violations.
A statement by Doctors Without Borders indicated that the organization works in contexts where people are vulnerable and dependent on humanitarian aid, which creates power imbalances and risks of violations that must be dealt with. She said the investigations were aimed at proactively confronting violations.
She added that in some cases investigated, it was not possible to trace the people involved due to the scale of the emergency and the movement of the population.
The organization confirmed that it has strengthened recruitment, verification efforts and complaints systems, however, it acknowledges that significant work is still required to ensure lasting change.
