Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) reported on Wednesday that pregnant women, mothers, and newborns are dying at an alarming rate in South Darfur, Sudan. Thousands of malnourished children are also on the brink of starvation.
According to MSF’s report, the health crisis in South Darfur is among the worst globally, largely due to the ongoing conflict between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which erupted in April of last year.
The report described the situation in South Darfur as a “snapshot of what is likely unfolding at a horrific scale in isolated, war-torn areas across Sudan.”
MSF documented 46 maternal deaths in two hospitals it supports in South Darfur from January to August, alongside 48 neonatal deaths due to sepsis in the same facilities between January and June.
The organization highlighted that nearly one-third of children under the age of two who were screened in South Darfur in August were suffering from severe acute malnutrition—more than double the emergency threshold set by the World Health Organization.
Additionally, over 80% of these children are experiencing severe acute malnutrition, a leading cause of mortality.
Jillian Burkhardt, an MSF director focused on sexual and reproductive health in South Darfur, stated, “Multiple health emergencies are occurring simultaneously with almost no international response from the United Nations or others.” She added, “Newborns, pregnant women, and new mothers are dying in shocking numbers.”
The report also emphasized that conflict and displacement are forcing women to give birth in unsanitary conditions where access to healthcare and medication is severely limited.
MSF Calls for Decisive Action
South Darfur hosts the largest number of internally displaced persons in Sudan, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
MSF has urged the United Nations to “take decisive action to prevent further loss of life in Darfur.”
The United Nations, which is hosting a ministerial meeting with key donors and regional powers on Wednesday to discuss the “cost of inaction” in Sudan, noted that a lack of funding, insecurity, and restricted access are hampering relief efforts.
The ongoing war between the Sudanese army and the RSF has displaced over 10 million people, devastated large parts of the capital, and fueled ethnically driven violence across the Darfur region.
