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Illustration of fightings in Khartoum, Sudan

Conflict in Sudan

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Last updated on 9 February 2024.

On 15 April 2023, intense fighting broke out between the Sudanese military and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Khartoum and across most of Sudan. Since then, the fighting has killed and injured thousands of people.

Large parts of Sudan have experienced ongoing violence, including intense urban warfare, gunfire, shelling and airstrikes. Our teams are treating war-wounded patients with catastrophic injuries caused by explosions, bullets and stabbings, and at times are responding to mass casualty incidents.  

Millions in Sudan and neighbouring nations are displaced. Refugee camps, particularly those in the south and east, lack adequate healthcare and humanitarian aid. Camp conditions suffer from a lack of water and sanitation, creating potential for outbreaks. The collapse of the healthcare system presents challenges in accessing medical care due to shortages in hospital supplies and staff.  

Sudan must not become a forgotten crisis, but the humanitarian response is far from adequate, while restrictions imposed on humanitarian actors by the Sudanese authorities further isolate people in need of healthcare. 

Without urgent action, the most vulnerable people will continue to bear the brunt of the violence, resulting in more avoidable deaths. Frauke Ossig, MSF head of mission

We are currently working in 12 areas in Sudan, including Khartoum City, Khartoum North, Omdurman, Al-Jazeera State, West Darfur State, North Darfur State, Central Darfur State, South Darfur State, Al-Gedaref State, Blue Nile State, White Nile state and Kassala State.  

Our teams are providing both general and specialised healthcare for patients in various parts of Sudan in existing healthcare facilities and in camps for displaced people. We provide emergency treatment, perform surgeries, run mobile clinics for displaced people, treat communicable and non-communicable diseases, and offer maternal and paediatric healthcare, including safe deliveries.  

We also provide  water and sanitation services, donate medicines and medical supplies to healthcare facilities, and offer incentive pay, training and logistical support to Ministry of Health staff. 

MSF emergency response in Sudan (April 2023 to January 2024)

The ongoing conflict has aggravated the risk of outbreaks and made the treatment of malnutrition, chronic illnesses, and control of outbreaks even more challenging. In Zamzam camp in North Darfur there are alarmingly high levels of malnutrition among children – for them, severe diarrhoea can be fatal. Likewise, it can lead to malnutrition in healthy children and cause a rapid deterioration in their health. We estimate that at least one child is dying every two hours in the camp.

On top of the already catastrophic health crisis, the Sudan Ministry of Health declared a cholera outbreak in Gedaref, Khartoum, South Kordofan and Al Jazirah on 29 October.  

In camps, people are living without proper access to water and sanitation, and in unsanitary conditions, fuelling possible outbreaks. To support patients in remote places or places where healthcare facilities have closed, our mobile clinic teams are providing general healthcare and supporting the referral system to ensure that critical patients have access to specialised healthcare. 

Chad

An estimated 682,000 refugees and returnees have crossed the border from Sudan to Chad. They are living in multiple camps in Chad and are facing difficulties to secure even the most basic needs. With a lack of water, food, proper shelter and healthcare people are suffering from diarrhoea, malnutrition, and other diseases such as malaria.  

We are working in four different locations in eastern Chad providing maternity and surgical care, water and sanitation, and care for people with malnutrition, malaria or other diseases.

Our teams are working in Adré, a city hosting some 130,000 refugees in various camps. We are present in two hospitals and are providing support to three health centres. We provide surgical care for the war wounded, support the paediatric and nutrition wards and health centres around Adré, and provide assistance to refugees in camps in Chad through mobile clinics.

Additionally, we are working in the Ourang refugee camp, which hosts some 50,000 people. We also support another new refugee camp in Metche, where approximately 40,000 people are living. Here we are building a large hospital  in the camp, whichbegan receiveg patients in early December. In the Deguessa site, our teams are providing healthcare to returnees and refugees.

Central African Republic

Since mid-April, more than 18,500 people have arrived in the Central African Republic (CAR) fleeing the conflict in Sudan, including a few thousand Central Africans who had previously sought refuge in Sudan, according to UNHCR.

In May, we launched an emergency response, however, in early September, as the number refugees was not so high, our teams handed over the management of a health post to a national organisation after donating medicines and materials. Today we continue to support the district hospital and to refer patients in need of specialised care to Bangui.

Ethiopia

The number of arrivals in Ethiopia from Sudan had reached nearly 90,500, as of 7 November.  

In September, we gave oral cholera vaccines to all refugees in Kumar Refugee Camp and the Ministry of Health to Kumar’s host communities. Emergency latrines were built in the camp to improve access to sanitation, and medical supplies were donated to the Zonal Health Bureau.

The success of the intervention would not have been possible without the hard work of the refugee community who worked as health promoters and supported water, hygiene and sanitation activities, day and night.

South Sudan

Since the eruption of conflict in Sudan, over 540,000 people had been registered crossing to South Sudan to seek refuge as of the first week of November. Our teams are running emergency activities in Renk, Bulukat and Aweil to provide refugees and returnees with healthcare services through mobile clinics and at hospitals.  

We are seeing an alarming high number of cases of malnutrition amongst returnees and are calling for an increase in the humanitarian response to address the needs of those arriving from Sudan. 

 

 
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