By Bunmi Yekini
Sudan’s war reached its 1,000th day on Tuesday with more than 20 million people in need of health assistance and at least 21 million struggling to find enough food, as the World Health Organisation warned that the country has become the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
Nearly three years of fighting, access restrictions and dwindling funding have pushed Sudan to the brink, with an estimated 33.7 million people expected to require humanitarian aid this year, the WHO said in a statement.
The conflict, which began in April 2023, has devastated the country’s health system. Ongoing violence, repeated attacks on health care, mass displacement and shortages of medical supplies and staff have left more than a third of Sudan’s health facilities non-functional, cutting off millions from basic and lifesaving care.
“One thousand days of conflict in Sudan have driven the health system to the brink of collapse,” said Dr Shible Sahbani, the WHO’s representative in Sudan. “Under the strain of disease, hunger and a lack of access to basic services, people face a devastating situation.”
The WHO said it has verified 201 attacks on health care since the war began, which have killed at least 1,858 people and injured nearly 500. The agency said such attacks violate international humanitarian law and continue to place health workers, patients and caregivers at grave risk.
Sudan is now facing the largest displacement crisis in the world, with about 13.6 million people forced from their homes. Overcrowded living conditions, disrupted water and sanitation services, and the breakdown of routine immunisation have fueled the spread of disease, compounding the emergency.
Outbreaks of cholera, dengue, malaria and measles have been reported across much of the country, the WHO said, with cholera detected in all 18 states. Access to care for chronic illnesses and severe malnutrition remains limited.
Despite the challenges, the agency said it and its partners have continued to operate where access allows. Since the start of the war, the WHO has delivered more than 3,300 metric tons of medicines and medical supplies worth about $40 million, supported cholera vaccination campaigns that reached roughly 24 million people, and helped millions access treatment through hospitals, clinics and mobile health units.
But large areas, particularly in Darfur and Kordofan, remain difficult or impossible to reach.
“As the relentless conflict renders some areas inaccessible, the population’s health needs continue to increase,” Sahbani said, calling for safe and unimpeded humanitarian access and increased funding.
The WHO urged all parties to the conflict to work urgently toward a ceasefire, saying only an end to the fighting would allow Sudan’s battered health system to recover and prevent the crisis from worsening further.