A couple of years back around this time, an unexpected confrontation emerged in Sudan, quickly spiraling out of control and lasting far longer than anyone had predicted. Initially a fierce battle for authority, what unfolded turned into one of the gravest and least publicized human disasters we face today.
The nation finds itself engulfed in a condition of ruin characterized by widespread dislocation, famine, brutality, and illness.
The figures are astounding. Over 30 million individuals require humanitarian assistance. At minimum, 15 million people are presently uprooted from their homes. Approximately 11.3 million are internally displaced within Sudan, with an additional 3.9 million having sought refuge in adjacent nations, rendering this situation the globe’s most significant displacement emergency. Furthermore, more than 20 million people desperately need medical care.
These statistics represent countless personal narratives. Mothers and fathers agonizing over the wellbeing of their kids who endure extreme hunger. Households trapped in locations devoid of sustenance, clean drinking water, or healthcare services. Men, women, and children succumbing to their plight as venturing to medical facilities becomes too perilous. An entire cohort of youngsters being deprived of essential immunizations due to unsafe conditions.
Last September, when I went to Sudan, I encountered Soueda, an intelligent nine-year-old who had escaped from her home and was residing in a displacement camp near Port Sudan. In this camp, the World Health Organization (WHO) assists with essential medical care. She abandoned all familiarity and mentioned sadly that she hadn’t attended school for two years.
In Port Sudan, WHO staff members talked with Ashwa and her youngest child, who was receiving treatment for severe acute malnutrition at one of the WHO-supported stabilization centers in the area. “My baby had completely stopped eating and drinking, wasn’t moving anymore, and his limbs were swollen,” she explained as she held her son. “I thought he might die right then.” She continued, “The fear of losing him never left me until we arrived here, where they gave him specialized milk and medicine. Now he’s active again, nursing properly, and even smiling. If not for this center’s care, I am certain I would have lost him.”
Yet, too few of these stories reach the headlines. This silence is dangerous. It breeds indifference and will cost more lives.
The war has left Sudan’s health system devastated, especially in hard-to-reach areas. In assessed states, 62 percent of health facilities are partially functional and the remaining 32 percent are not functional, with a lack of clarity from other hard-to-reach areas like the Darfurs and Kordofans. Patients can’t access basic treatments due to ongoing fighting and repeated attacks on health facilities and health workers.
In Sudan, two-thirds of all states are facing multiple disease outbreaks, which include cholera, measles, malaria, dengue, and diphtheria. Cholera specifically has resulted in at least 1,500 deaths.
Widespread malnutrition affects children, as well as pregnant and nursing mothers. Famine has been reported in five regions and is expected to spread to 17, putting tens of thousands of lives in imminent danger.
Together with our partners, WHO operates in Sudan to guarantee that individuals have access to essential medical services. Even though entry to those in urgent need is significantly limited and healthcare centers face continuous assaults, we provide critical medical resources, bolster hospital and clinic operations, and conduct immunization drives.
Since the onset of the conflict, with assistance from WHO, more than one million patients have accessed care at hospitals, health centers, and mobile clinics. Approximately 11.5 million children have been immunized against polio and measles, and an additional 12.8 million individuals have received cholera vaccinations. Furthermore, WHO has supported stabilization centers where, over the past two years, around 75,000 children afflicted with severe acute malnutrition along with associated medical issues have obtained necessary treatments.
WHO’s response to this crisis has been made possible by generous contributions from partners like the Central Emergency Response Fund, the Japan International Cooperation Agency, the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center, the European Union, France, Germany, Italy, the United States and others. Yet, continuous support is critical in 2025 for WHO’s $135m response plan, 79 percent of which is unfunded.
WHO is determined to continue supporting Sudan’s people but we need access to and protection of civilians, humanitarians and medical personnel. Since the conflict started, WHO has verified 156 attacks on health facilities, ambulances, staff and patients, resulting in 318 deaths and 273 injuries. Health workers and facilities must never be targets. In fact, they are protected under international humanitarian law. But there has been blatant disregard for these obligations.
Sudan’s crisis is no longer merely a domestic catastrophe; it has evolved into a regional menace. The turmoil poses a risk of upsetting stability in adjacent nations and could exacerbate forced migration, outbreaks of illness, and overall instability.
One week following my assignment in Sudan, I found myself in Chad, a country sheltering more than 750,000 refugees from Sudan. There, I encountered families who had trekked for days across the border seeking refuge. Many recounted how their houses were torched, fields razed, and livestock taken away. Having fled with just the clothes on their backs, they reached Chad destitute. Upon asking about their greatest needs, the heartbreaking response echoed repeatedly: “We need food. Hunger gnaws at us.”
We cannot claim ignorance about what is occurring. The evidence is evident, and the narratives are chilling. However, the urgent requirement is for increased action. It is essential to have continuous, unobstructed humanitarian entry to assist those most affected, sufficient financial support to provide critical relief, and foremost among these needs, a strong pledge from top leadership to bring an end to the conflict.
The opinions stated in this article belong solely to the author and do not necessarily represent the viewpoint of Al Jazeera.
