Continued violence in Sudan is having catastrophic health consequences on displaced people, warns IRC.

Khartoum, Sudan, November 29, 2023 —  Following continued and escalating conflict across Sudan, poor hygiene conditions and limited access to healthcare services for displaced people has led to a sharp increase in cholera and severe malnutrition cases recorded at a number of localities within Al Jazirah state.

The IRC is calling for an end to hostilities and the lifting of all barriers preventing populations from accessing humanitarian aid, as well as additional support from donors to strengthen the ongoing response efforts in Al Jazirah State and across Sudan, with a focus on tackling the unfolding health and malnutrition crisis.

Mohammed Mahdi, Deputy Director Programs in IRC Sudan said,

“We have observed a disturbing increase in severe malnutrition cases in Wad Medani, East Medani, and Al Kamleen localities in Al Jazirah State. IRC-supported health facilities in Al Jazirah State have reported a 31.65% surge in cases from September to October, highlighting the urgent need for intervention. The surge is attributed to lack of access to adequate food supplies for both IDPs and the host population, compounded by the general health crisis resulting from the ongoing conflict. Extreme violence in various regions of Sudan have disrupted agricultural activities, displaced communities and hindered food production and distribution. Inadequate infrastructure, including roads and storage facilities, makes it difficult to transport and store food, and nutrition supplies leading to supply chain disruptions. Lack of nutrition centres across Al Jazirah State state has strained the capacity of existing facilities, particularly in Madani town, where the nutrition centre's bed capacity of 314 is insufficient to meet the growing demand.”

Since Sudan declared a cholera outbreak in Gedaref state on 26 September, close to 3,000 suspected cases of cholera and 95 associated deaths have been reported across Gedaref, South Kordofan, Kassala, Khartoum, Al Jazirah and Sennar states and more than 3.1 million people are estimated to be at risk. As more than 24 million people in Sudan face hunger, the IRC urges all parties to the conflict to uphold their recent commitments to facilitate increased and unhindered humanitarian assistance. The world is witnessing extreme brutality in Sudan, particularly in Darfur and Khartoum; all parties to the conflict must adhere to international humanitarian law including the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure. 

In response to this crisis, the IRC is actively supporting five primary health care facilities in Al Jazirah State -- with plans underway to support four more by the end of the year --  through training of medical staff on the detection, treatment, and improved surveillance of diseases and infection prevention and control measures, distribution of hygiene kits to communities and awareness raising on best hygiene practices. The IRC is in the process of establishing a medical mobile unit which will allow IRC to expand its operations to Al Managel locality, and will play a pivotal role in supporting the cholera response and providing primary health care services. Additionally, the IRC is distributing cash to 9,400 displaced people and is preparing for additional distribution to 19,493 IDPs n in Al Jazirah, Blue Nile, White Nile and Khartoum states to support them in meeting their needs including the purchase of food and personal hygiene items.