- The MSF International President added that while they have in the last few weeks called for the intervention of the United Nations and other stakeholders.
- Since the war broke out on April 15, 2023, the United Nations estimates that over 8.5 million have been forcefully displaced.
Image: MSF
Medical and humanitarian aid agency, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) now says that the two warring sides in Sudan, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have intensified efforts to obstruct the delivery of aid into the country.
In a report released on Monday, MSF said this has been in the form of denying aid workers visas and permits to move around once they are in Sudan.
This according to the humanitarian agency has made it difficult for their staff and civilians to operate, coupled with attempts to prevent aid from getting into Sudan, from neighboring countries of Chad and South Sudan.
“Throughout the war, but particularly in the last six months, there has been a systematic obstruction of aid, including of staff and supplies, to areas of great need, particularly in RSF-controlled parts of the country," MSF said.
"It has been difficult and time-consuming to get visas for humanitarian staff to enter the country and travel permits for them to move around Sudan. Permits to cross frontlines, for example from Port Sudan to RSF-controlled areas, have been repeatedly denied. Attempts have also been made to prevent aid from entering the country across borders, for example from Chad and South Sudan.”
The humanitarian agency notes that since the beginning of the war, Sudan has had extremely high levels of medical need.
MSF said so far, more than half a million people have sought medical consultations from MSF and MSF-supported hospitals, health facilities and mobile clinics in Sudan.
“We have treated people directly injured in the fighting, including shrapnel wounds, blast injuries and gunshot injuries, including from stray bullets. We’ve received more than 22,800 cases of traumatic injuries and performed more than 4,600 surgical interventions. The indirect health consequences of the war have been equally devastating. Between 70 and 80 per cent of hospitals in conflict-affected areas are no longer functioning.”
According to the MSF International President, Dr Christos Christou, while there is a growing level of needs by the Sudanese people, humanitarian response remains deeply inadequate.
He noted that while before the war there were many humanitarian organisations in the country, at the moment there is close to none.
Dr Christou said that the few facilities they run within Sudan are running low on supplies but there isn't much they can do, given the actions of the RSF.
"There is no doubt that there are enormous challenges in Sudan, but they are not insurmountable. It is possible to respond – and we know this because we are there. A major issue is the systematic blockage of the delivery of humanitarian assistance that has been imposed by the Sudanese Armed Forces for the past six months," he said in a statement.
"It means that we cannot send medical supplies or personnel across the frontlines into areas controlled by the Rapid Support Forces and recently we have seen increasing attempts to block humanitarian supplies and staff crossing from neighbouring countries into Sudan."
The MSF International President added that while they have in the last few weeks called for the intervention of the United Nations and other stakeholders to step in and see to it that critical services and aid reach the people of Sudan, nothing much has been done.
He insists that the atrocities and suffering that are going on in Sudan are preventable if only humanitarian actors scale up and have sufficient safe access to the country.
“This is not acceptable, and this level of international neglect is shocking. Across Sudan, women are dying because of complications during pregnancy or childbirth, and patients with chronic diseases are dying because they are running out of medication,” he said.
MSF currently works in and supports 30 health facilities in 10 states in Sudan: Khartoum state, Al Jazirah state, White and Blue Nile states, Al Gedaref state, West Darfur, North, South and Central Darfur states, and Red Sea state.
Since the war broke out on April 15, 2023, the United Nations estimates that over 8.5 million have been forcefully displaced.