If you think the current crisis in Sudan is an emergency without warning, think again.
Seven weeks already that intense fighting broke out in the streets of Khartoum, the capital of Sudan. The violence of the fighting is such that more than 1,000 people have been killed and more than a million displaced, in particular to take shelter from the bombardments. Some fled to safer areas of the country, while others made long journeys to overwhelmed border crossings. The current conflict between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces is a new chapter in a long-standing crisis that has affected the country for decades. But beneath these fights for control of Sudan hides a reality too familiar to Médecins sans frontières (MSF): a lack of respect for medical and humanitarian action, and targeted attacks against health structures and personnel.
When the fighting broke out on April 15, MSF teams were already present in the country to respond to multiple health problems and to provide medical care in hospitals and mobile clinics. Today, nearly two months later, residents of Khartoum and other areas, including Darfur, have witnessed heavy fighting, airstrikes and massive looting. The current violence has led to shortages of food, water, medicine and fuel, causing prices to spike and hampering access to medical care at a time when people need it most.
According to the United Nations, 25 million people in Sudan, half the country’s population, are now in need of humanitarian assistance.
For their part, MSF teams face immense obstacles as they strive to provide essential healthcare in various parts of the country. In Nyala, South Darfur, we were forced to suspend our activities after an MSF house and warehouse were violently looted on 16 April. In Khartoum, Jean-Nicolas Armstrong Dangelser, emergency coordinator for MSF in Sudan, reports that “after one of our medical warehouses was looted, the refrigerators were unplugged. The cold chain has been destroyed, so the drugs have expired and can no longer be used.” On April 26, the University Hospital of El Geneina, where MSF ran pediatric and nutrition services, was also looted and some parts were destroyed. The hospital still remains closed. These attacks are not isolated events. They are part of a trend of contempt on the part of the two belligerent parties for civilians and health care establishments.
PHOTO AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Dialysis patients at Soba Hospital in Khartoum on June 3. Even health facilities are not immune to looting.
The theft of supplies and vehicles, harassment of medical personnel and the proximity of violence to health care facilities are hampering the efforts of medical and humanitarian teams to respond effectively to the situation which remains dire. Administrative and logistical challenges also complicate interventions. Moving supplies from one part of Sudan to another is becoming extremely difficult and we are struggling to obtain the visas we urgently need to bring in additional personnel.
Despite these challenges, our teams remain committed to supporting communities across Sudan by providing essential healthcare to those who need it most.
Currently active in 10 states in Sudan, MSF teams treat people injured by war in Khartoum and North Darfur. They also provide health care and set up services to improve access to water and hygiene conditions for water and sanitation services to refugees and displaced persons, as well as to communities of reception in the states of Al-Gedaref and Al-Jazeera. We also donate medical supplies to health care facilities across the country.
From the first days of the crisis in Sudan, the media focused on the evacuation of many people. Our experience in conflict zones, however, allows us to see the magnitude of the danger that conflict poses to civilians who cannot or choose not to evacuate. This also applies to medical personnel who remain to provide care to ill or injured individuals. It is imperative to ensure the safety of medical personnel and health establishments in order to guarantee the effectiveness of care. This means allowing ambulances and individuals seeking medical assistance to circulate safely and facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid to areas where the needs are greatest.
MSF is used to working in conflict zones and difficult environments, but in Sudan the humanitarian space in which we can work is rapidly shrinking as needs continue to grow. This situation is pushing the health system to the edge of a precipice. As our teams continue their efforts to access people in urgent need of care, the question arises: how many lives that should have been saved are now lost? Almost two months after the start of this bloody conflict, humanitarian operations had to be interrupted in many parts of the country. MSF is one of the few international medical and humanitarian aid organizations still working in Sudan. We urgently call on all parties to the conflict to ensure humanitarian access and allow essential supplies and personnel to reach those trapped in the heart of this conflict.