Illustration of fightings in Khartoum, Sudan

Conflict in Sudan

On 15 April 2023, fighting broke out between the Sudanese military and the Rapid Support Forces across most of Sudan. Since then, the fighting has resulted in over 1,000 deaths and more than 11,700 injuries.

Large parts of Sudan have experienced ongoing violence, including intense urban warfare, gunfire, shelling and airstrikes. Our teams report that hospitals are overwhelmed, and in some areas, people are unable or too afraid to get to health facilities because the fighting is too intense and/or the facilities have been damaged in the fighting. Many people are cut off from medical care at a time when they need it most.

People are fleeing to safer areas, as they face food and water shortages, forcing them to move to try to meet their basic needs. People are also facing difficulties accessing medical care as the healthcare system is collapsing, with many hospitals facing shortages in supplies and personnel.

In response to the lack of fuel and medical supplies, our teams have managed to make donations to hospitals in several states including Khatoum, Al-Jazeera, North and Central Darfour and Red Sea states.

We call on parties of the conflict to ensure humanitarian access and to allow us to assist the Sudanese people. Ahmed Abd-elrahman, MSF director of operations in Brussels

Since the escalation of violence, we have been working in in 12 states: Khartoum, Kassala, Al-Jazeera, West Darfur, North Darfur, Central Darfur, South Darfur, Red Sea, El-Gedaref, Blue Nile, White Nile and River Nile. Our teams have started new activities in some of these locations, including emergency and surgical care in Khartoum, mobile clinics and relief item distributions in Wad Madani, and water and sanitation activities in Port Sudan.

We have shifted some of our activities to meet people's needs, such as in El Fasher hospital, where we have carried out over 600 surgical operations for both the wounded and women requiring emergency obstetric surgery since 15 April. Our teams have also been able to continue or restart some activities in areas such as Kreink, Rokero, El-Damazin and in camps across the country.

We have been forced to suspend some activities due to violence and insecurity in some other parts of the country. This includes our activities in Niyala in South Darfur, and the MSF-supported El Geneina Teaching Hospital in West Darfur, which were subject to looting.

Across the border, our teams are providing assistance to refuges in camps in Chad through mobile clinics and assessing refugees’ needs in the Central African Republic and South Sudan.