The World Health Organization warns of a “disaster in every sense of the word” in Sudan
The health crisis that Sudan was suffering from has turned into a “disaster in every sense of the word” as a result of the continuation of the fighting for more than two weeks, in light of the shortage of workers and medical supplies and the spread of epidemics, according to what the regional director of the World Health Organization told AFP.
“It is a disaster in every sense of the word,” Ahmed Al-Mandhari, Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, said during an interview at his headquarters in Cairo.
Hospitals and health centers in Sudan, one of the poorest countries in the world, have been repeatedly bombed and some of them have been occupied by fighters from both sides of the conflict, or are empty of staff, medicines or medical supplies, according to what Sudanese doctors have said repeatedly since April 15th.
On that day, battles broke out between the army, led by Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the commander of the Rapid Support Forces, Muhammad Hamdan Dagalo, known as “Hemedti.”
The continuous battles, especially in Khartoum and Darfur (west), have killed more than 500 people and wounded nearly five thousand, according to figures from the Sudanese Ministry of Health, which are likely to be much lower than the actual outcome.
Sudan has witnessed a series of conflicts over the past years, and has suffered an international embargo for two decades.
