A PROBE by a top medics group has revealed that some of its staff in Chad have exploited refugees, it was reported on Saturday.

An internal report by Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has found that local and foreign staff exploited refugees in Chad, sometimes targeting underage girls and other times trading food aid and jobs for sex.

The report by MSF, completed nearly a year ago but only now coming to light, acknowledged 59 allegations of abuse, although it said the numbers could be greater as more survivors may be reluctant to speak out.

MSF says that 18 local and foreign staff members have been dismissed and barred from future employment.

MSF noted in the internal report that it had allocated extra resources in Chad to prevent and fight abuse, including training staff, but said those measures did not have a lasting impact.

It is not yet clear whether any of the former staff members have faced any legal prosecutions.

The internal investigation followed an investigation by Associated Press published in November 2024, which revealed that Sudanese women seeking refuge in Chad were being offered jobs and assistance in exchange for sex by aid workers and local security forces.

MSF is one of the largest responders to the massive humanitarian crisis that has unfolded in Sudan since the fighting broke out between the Egyptian and Saudi Arabia backed military and the United Arab Emirates supported Rapid Support Forces paramilitary.

Hundreds of thousands of Sudanese have been displaced into eastern Chad amid a devastating civil war in its fourth year. Thousands have been killed in the conflict.

MSF said its findings were “a candid internal analysis” of where its systems had failed.

The 59 allegations of misconduct ranged from sexual harassment to exploitation and abuse and “represent a serious breach of MSF’s values and responsibilities and we deeply regret the harm caused,” it said.

In one case, seven refugee girls, allegedly hired as daily workers, were put into an MSF vehicle and told they were going to water distribution and construction sites. But, the girls were taken to a different location and “exposed to” sexual abuse and requests for sex, according to the report.

MSF said it had taken steps to improve its abuse prevention and detection methods, including through confidential reporting channels.

Similar allegations had been raised in the past, MSF said, including during the 2021 Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.