Sudan’s collapsing services
- Fighting in Sudan has moved beyond battle lines, producing widespread civilian insecurity and crumbling services. - Nearly three‑quarters of Sudanese women say they feel unsafe, according to the UN Population Fund. - Only one hospital treating tropical diseases remains operational in Omdurman, while rival forces split territory and trap civilians. (aljazeera.com)
In Omdurman, one tropical-diseases hospital is still functioning as Sudan’s war enters its fourth year and much of the health system remains damaged or shut. (aljazeera.com) Al Jazeera reported on April 20 that the Tropical Diseases Teaching Hospital is the only operating hospital of its kind in Omdurman, west of Khartoum, where patients with tuberculosis and other infectious diseases are still arriving. Sudan’s health ministry said this month that 37 percent of health facilities nationwide are non-functional because of the war. (aljazeera.com) The war began on April 15, 2023, after a power struggle between Sudanese Armed Forces chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Rapid Support Forces leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti. The Sudanese Armed Forces now control much of eastern and central Sudan, including Khartoum, while the Rapid Support Forces hold most of Darfur. (aljazeera.com) The World Health Organization said on April 14 that nearly 34 million people in Sudan need humanitarian assistance, including 21 million who need health assistance. It said disease outbreaks, malnutrition, and shrinking access to care are worsening in areas where fighting continues. (who.int) The same World Health Organization update said 37 percent of health facilities across Sudan’s 18 states remain non-functional. It also said it has verified 217 attacks on health care since April 15, 2023, with 2,052 deaths and 810 injuries. (who.int) For civilians, the collapse reaches beyond hospitals. The World Health Organization said 11.5 million people have been forcibly displaced, including 7.2 million displaced inside Sudan and more than 4.2 million who crossed borders into neighboring countries. (who.int) Women and girls are carrying a large share of that strain. The United Nations Population Fund said more than 9 million people are displaced across all 18 states, 12.7 million people are at risk of gender-based violence, and health services in conflict areas are often overstretched or non-functional. (unfpa.org) The United Nations Population Fund said it reached more than 51,000 people with gender-based-violence services in January and February 2026 through 88 women and girls’ safe spaces, including 24 temporary sites in displacement camps. It is appealing for $129.2 million for Sudan this year and says only about 25 percent has been secured, leaving a gap of $97.3 million. (unfpa.org) That leaves hospitals like the one in Omdurman treating patients as supplies run short and families move through a city split by war. In Al Jazeera’s reporting, one tuberculosis patient said medicine that had been free on his first visit was unavailable on his second, forcing him to buy it privately. (aljazeera.com)
