Crisis in Sudan

Crisis in Sudan

Since the outbreak of the brutal civil war in April 2023, millions of people have been forcibly displaced and Sudan remains one of the world’s most critical humanitarian emergencies.  

Both Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have carried out attacks on civilians, humanitarian aid and infrastructure and millions of people have been trapped in the middle of an unexpected conflict.  

Sudan is not a forgotten crisis. It is an abandoned crisis and medical and humanitarian needs are still outpacing the response. 

How is MSF helping?

Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders (MSF) teams already working in Sudan have been responding to the crisis since its first moments.

Our healthcare projects and hospitals – in some places the only medical facilities still open – have treated influxes of critical patients: the war-wounded, pregnant women in labour, and chronically ill people with nowhere else to go.  

At the same time, MSF teams in neighbouring Chad have received huge numbers of injured refugees who have travelled for miles to reach urgent care. 

The current situation in Sudan: Latest news and stories

What is happening in Sudan?

Relentless violence

• Since the SAF took over Khartoum in May 2025, fighting intensified in El Fasher which has become the epicentre of atrocities, with alarming trends of ethnically motivated attacks and killings. This adds to the tight siege of the city and its nearby displacement sites for over a year.  
• From May to July 2025, MSF teams treated 7,943 patients in the Emergency Room of the Tawila Hospital, an increase of nearly 30 percent compared to the previous three months.

Millions of people have fled their homes

• Around 14 million people (February 2026) have been forcibly displaced since the conflict began. This includes over four million fleeing to seek safety in neighbouring countries such as South Sudan, Chad and Egypt.  
• Displaced people across the country and region are now sheltering in crowded and often precarious conditions.

Healthcare is under attack

• Horrific attacks on healthcare in Sudan are leaving civilians without lifesaving care. Since the conflict started in April 2023, the WHO has verified 217 attacks on healthcare, killing at least 2,052 health workers and patients, and injuring 810.
• The majority of health facilities in conflict-affected areas of Sudan are either non-functional or barely operational. In 2025 alone, MSF documented over 65 violent incidents targeting its staff, facilities, vehicles, and supplies.

Humanitarian aid is being deliberately blocked

• MSF has been working with the Ministry of Health to treat some of the more than 30 million people who require urgent medical care.
• A staggering 30 million people are estimated to need humanitarian assistance in Sudan and  
• However, the Government of Sudan has repeatedly and deliberately obstructed humanitarian aid, especially to areas outside of SAF control.

There is a catastrophic food crisis

• The conflict has disrupted food supply across Sudan and people have been cut off from their jobs, meaning millions now face a new crisis: hunger.  
• In Tawila, between May 2025 and May 2026, MSF screened over 45,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women, with 16,733 (over 36 percent) identified as malnourished, including 9 percent with severe acute malnutrition.  
• Across Sudan, the condition is widespread and rising. Over 8.7 million people face emergency or famine-level food insecurity as staple prices soar 430 percent.

Pregnant women and children are dying in shocking numbers

• In a crisis within a crisis, women and children are facing dangerous but preventable conditions.  
• One MSF report found a staggering mortality rate among pregnant patients, driven by malnutrition, unsanitary environments and the collapse of everyday healthcare.
• Malnutrition among pregnant and breastfeeding women remains high, reaching 30% in antenatal and postnatal consultations in Tawila.

Infectious disease outbreaks

• Sudan is in the midst of a cholera outbreak, first declared in August 2024. Since then, Sudan’s Ministry of Health has reported over 99,700 suspected cases and more than 2,470 deaths.  
• Sudan is facing multiple diseases outbreaks simultaneously: cholera, malaria, dengue fever, measles, and hepatitis.

Read: Why is no one talking about the biggest humanitarian crisis on Earth?

Background to the Sudan war and crisis

Following a military coup in 2021, most international aid to Sudan was frozen. This led to an economic crisis and increased food insecurity.

Sudan’s healthcare system was also extremely fragile even before the recent escalation in violence and access to basic medical services has been a challenge for most people.

This critical situation has been caused by a combination of recurring violence and conflict, the economic situation and the cost of healthcare, and an overall lack of medical staff and resources.

Added to this, the sharp decline in international aid has had consequences including reduced vaccination coverage and increased malnutrition among children.

Before the conflict, around 78,000 children under five were dying each year due to preventable causes such as malaria. In the first four months after 15 April, around 50,000 children with accurate malnutrition had their treatment disrupted.

Sudan also already had a high maternal mortality rate, with around 25 percent of births unattended by a skilled healthcare professional.

The stark reality is that Sudan’s healthcare system has been on the verge of collapse for decades. However, with the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian and security situation, low-running supplies and under-pressure staff, it is now at breaking point.

MSF in Sudan before the conflict

MSF has been working in Sudan since 1979. We have been providing medical aid throughout the civil war that led to the split with South Sudan in 2011, and the decade-long conflict in the Darfur region.

Before the recent escalation in violence on 15 April 2023, we were running 11 medical projects across 12 states. This included 24 healthcare facilities, from mobile clinics to hospitals.