Sudan: After Three Years of Conflict, Sudan Faces a Deeper Health Crisis

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Three years of conflict in Sudan have shattered essential services and created the world's largest humanitarian and displacement crisis, according to multiple reports from the World Health Organization (WHO) and humanitarian groups. As fighting continues to rage in parts of the country, a deepening health crisis is endangering millions, with particular impact on mothers and children.

Coverage Comparison

Coverage of the crisis has been extensive across outlets, with reports from Al Jazeera, AllAfrica, and the WHO highlighting the scale of the humanitarian emergency. Al Jazeera's report focuses on the devastating consequences for children and mothers, citing Save the Children data on the number of births since the war began. AllAfrica's reports, including statements from the WHO representative in Sudan, provide a broader picture of the health system's collapse and the staggering numbers of people in need of assistance. All reports attribute the crisis to the ongoing war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, which began in April 2023.

Key Claims

A Generation Born into Crisis

According to a report by Save the Children, as covered by Al Jazeera, at least three babies are born every minute in Sudan into conditions "no child should ever face." The charity says official data shows 5.6 million births have occurred since the start of the war, meaning roughly 5,000 children are born each day in a country where millions are surviving on one meal a day. The report highlights a more than 12 percent increase in maternal death rates during childbirth.

Mohamed Abdiladif, country director for Save the Children in Sudan, said in a statement that "these children are born in overcrowded shelters, under-equipped or damaged health facilities, or while their families are on the move." He emphasized that "children have a right to receive care and protection, even in conflict."

Health System in Ruins

The WHO reports that up to 80 percent of health facilities in conflict-affected areas have become non-operational, and across Sudan's 18 states, 37 percent of health facilities remain non-functional. The WHO has verified 217 attacks on health care since April 2023, resulting in 2,052 deaths and 810 injuries.

In a press conference in Geneva, Dr. Shible Sahbani, WHO Representative in Sudan, stated that "41 percent of Sudan's population – 21 million people – still require urgent health assistance for survival." He also noted that 13.6 million people remain displaced within Sudan or in neighboring countries.

The WHO has also warned of widespread disease outbreaks, including malaria, dengue, measles, polio, hepatitis E, meningitis, and diphtheria, reported from several states.

On the Ground: A Doctor's Account

In South Kordofan, tens of thousands of people are fleeing violence, and health workers at the El-Obeid Maternity Hospital in neighboring North Kordofan are facing dire conditions. Dr. Hasan Babikir, a doctor at the hospital, described the situation to the UN's sexual and reproductive health agency, UNFPA:

"There's a severe shortage of surgical and normal delivery equipment, as well as essentials such as antibiotics, surgical sutures and gloves," he said. "This forces us to buy them from the market at very high prices."

Dr. Babikir also recounted the death of premature triplets he was unable to treat due to a lack of intensive care beds: "We had to watch two of the babies die before our eyes."

The hospital is the only referral hospital in western Sudan and serves over 230,000 displaced people, most of them women and girls facing sexual violence, hunger, and near-total lack of healthcare.

Perspectives

Humanitarian organizations and the WHO emphasize the urgent need for action to protect civilians and health infrastructure. Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, said: "The war in Sudan is devastating lives and denying people their most basic rights, including health, water, food and safety. The health system has been crippled, leaving millions without essential health care. Doctors and health workers can save lives, but they must have safe places to work and the medicines and supplies they need. Ultimately, the best medicine is peace."

Save the Children and other NGOs have called for an end to the fighting and for unhindered humanitarian access. While some states have seen a subsiding of fighting, the situation in Darfur and Kordofan remains dire, with attacks on health care becoming more frequent and deadlier, according to the WHO.

The conflict, which began as a power struggle between Sudan's army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan "Hemedti" Dagalo, has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions. Both sides have been accused of war crimes, and the RSF has been implicated in atrocities in Darfur that UN experts say bear the hallmarks of genocide. As the war enters its fourth year, the health crisis is likely to worsen without a political solution.