Humanitarian organizations are raising alarms about attacks on healthcare facilities in Sudan, cautioning that 70 percent of these establishments are either closed or barely functioning.
In a recent report titled "Besieged, Attacked, Starved," Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) highlighted that getting healthcare is nearly unattainable because of ongoing systematic attacks. Additionally, the few operational facilities left are continually under threat.
Michel-Olivier Lacharité, the head of emergency operations at MSF, urged all parties involved in conflict to cease violence against civilian health facilities and infrastructure. He also called for facilitating a large-scale humanitarian response as he spoke on Thursday when the report was released.
Save the Children expressed similar worries, reporting that attacks on hospitals have tripled in the first half of this year. Over 900 individuals lost their lives while seeking healthcare or accompanying someone to a hospital—an increase that's 60 times higher than the number of deaths recorded during the same period last year.
According to Save the Children, fatal attacks have targeted major hospitals, clinics, health facilities, ambulances, and medical convoys in a country where half of the population is in need of humanitarian aid.
MSF specifically cautioned about the violence in El Fasher city, the capital of North Darfur province, which has made it almost impossible for residents and those in nearby displacement camps to access healthcare.
By April, just one hospital with the capacity for surgery remained partially functional, catering to an estimated population exceeding one million. In the past year, numerous patients and their caregivers have lost their lives within a medical facility supported by MSF.
Global reaction
Lacharité also called on the international community to adopt more decisive measures in order to tackle the crisis in Sudan.
We call upon international actors, UN member states and bodies, and those nations with influence over the warring parties who provide military, economic, or diplomatic support: they must use all available leverage to prevent further mass atrocities and prioritize civilian protection in their engagements with these groups.
Last month, Sudan's military accepted a United Nations proposal for a week-long ceasefire in El Fasher to facilitate aid delivery. However, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) did not confirm their agreement with the proposal and engaged in renewed clashes with the army in the southern part of the city this week.
The civil war in Sudan has been ongoing since April 2023, following escalating tensions between the Sudanese army and a rival paramilitary group that led to widespread conflict across the nation. According to UN agencies, approximately 40,000 people have lost their lives as a result of this conflict. Nearly 13 million individuals have been forced from their homes, with some seeking refuge in other countries. Those who remain are grappling with food insecurity and face an increased risk of famine. Additionally, they are vulnerable to diseases such as cholera due to the collapse of the healthcare system which makes containment challenging.
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