Displaced people in eastern Sudan need urgent humanitarian intervention

Addressing looming health threats

The journey to Kassala was not easy to make, and many of those coming suffered displacement several times before reaching there.

Many displaced people rely on the generosity of host communities for necessities, heightening their vulnerability to disease and deprivation. The specter of cholera, typhoid, and dysentery looms large, threatening the health and well-being of displaced people.

The MSF intervention included the provision of primary health care services, sexual and reproductive health care, mental health care, and health promotion initiatives. Mobile clinics were also deployed to reach remote gathering sites, ensuring that people could access essential medical care. 

MSF teams provided medical consultations as well as psychological first aid to displaced people who were affected by violence and were suffering from the conflict and multiple displacement experiences.   

Significant challenges persist

“The soaring cost of medical services, particularly for women in need of reproductive health care, presents a formidable barrier to access,” says Claire San Filippo, MSF deputy head of mission in Sudan. “Furthermore, the protection of survivors of sexual and gender-based violence remains a pressing concern, with limited access to safe spaces and support services exacerbating their vulnerability.” 

Access to treatment for non-communicable diseases such as hypertension and diabetes is severely compromised, further exacerbating the health crisis in Kassala. Almost 800 patients (13 percent of the overall number of outpatient consultations) were treated for chronic diseases by MSF teams during the 10-week emergency intervention. Furthermore, limited movement of supplies and inflated costs have rendered essential medications inaccessible for many. 

The need for expanded humanitarian efforts extends far beyond the confines of Kassala state. Urgent action is desperately needed across all of Sudan—in harder-to-reach areas like Darfur and Khartoum, but also in Eastern Sudan, where more access is possible but still only a trickle of assistance gets through, in proportion to the vast humanitarian needs. More assistance and stronger coordination between the few existing actors present is needed to ensure basic access to health care, food, clean water, and sanitation. These needs must be prioritized to alleviate the suffering of displaced communities and prevent further loss of life.

"The prolonged nature of the suffering people are currently enduring is astounding," said Matt Cowling, MSF humanitarian affairs manager. "It's remarkable how little attention Sudan receives, and how the experiences of its people are hidden from the world."

"The situation in Sudan is largely overlooked by the media," Cowling continued. "I believe this is primarily because journalists cannot enter the country and organizations are not vocal enough about what's happening there. We are facing coordination issues and a significantly underfunded response. Now, we have a situation where people are being displaced multiple times and the needs are enormous. Another grim aspect of this situation is within the RSF-controlled areas, where access is extremely limited. We are looking at severe acute food insecurity, which is a significant concern for the future as we're nearly one year into the conflict, and we still don't see any substantial progress or movement toward a peaceful resolution or an end to the conflict."

About our work in Sudan

In eastern Sudan MSF runs health facilities in Tanideba and Um Rakuba camps, serving refugees, internally displaced people, and local communities. In Blue Nile state, we support Ad-Damazine Teaching Hospital.

MSF teams work in 11 states across Sudan: Khartoum, Port Sudan, Al Jazeera, White Nile, Blue Nile, River Nile, Al Gedaref, West Darfur, North Darfur, Central Darfur, and South Darfur states. MSF teams are also providing assistance to refugees and returnees across Sudan’s borders in South Sudan and Chad. Learn more about our work in Sudan.

* Patients' names have been changed to protect their identity