Sudan, in the city of Wad Madani there is a new worrying influx of displaced persons fleeing Khartoum

ROME – In Sudan, after the end of the last ceasefire, heavy fighting resumed in Khartoum and the teams of Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in Wad Madani are experiencing a worrying increase in the number of displaced people arriving from the capital. Wad Madani is the capital of the Sudanese state of Gezira and is located on the west bank of the Blue Nile, 136km southeast of Khartoum. It is connected to the Sudanese railway network with Khartoum and cotton is grown there. Large quantities of wheat, peanuts, barley and livestock are also traded there.

Thousands of people who have lost everything. In one of the IDP camps where MSF works, the number of people has increased from 300 to 2,800, while another 5,000 already live in three large camps near the city. This rapid influx highlights the urgent need to provide basic medical services and assistance to all people fleeing conflict. “Many of the displaced people arriving in Wad Madani from the capital have lost not only all their possessions and livelihoods, but also their family members during the fighting in Khartoum,” says Anja Wolz, MSF medical coordinator.

MSF mobile clinics. MSF teams, with the support of Ministry of Health staff, have been working with mobile clinics in many of the main collection points for displaced people in Wad Madani since early May and have seen over 1,600 patients, most with respiratory tract infections, mainly caused by precarious living conditions or the lack of adequate shelters. In addition, MSF teams are treating cases of malaria, chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and asthma, skin lesions caused by allergies and scabies, and are administering vaccines as well as providing services to pregnant women and psychological support. In recent weeks, MSF has managed to bring the necessary supplies to Wad Madani to support these activities.

Concern about the toilets. “The laboratory is not fully equipped, but we continue our activities with what we have available. We have a sufficient stock of medicines, rapid tests for malaria, blood sugar, blood pressure and pregnancy. We work with the Ministry of Health to transfer urgent cases to the hospital accompanied by an MSF doctor”, said Dr. Ahmed Omer Aljack, MSF doctor. There are also concerns about the conditions of the toilets and access to water in the camps for displaced persons, especially in view of the season Cases of malaria are already increasing and there are fears of the spread of dengue, often linked to the arrival of the rains and the proliferation of mosquitoes.

The priority: prevent epidemics. “The objective of our teams in Wad Madani is also to prevent outbreaks of waterborne diseases, such as cholera, which in a situation like this could cause a real disaster. MSF teams are working hard to improve hygienic conditions in the camps and ensure access to safe water,” concludes MSF’s Wolz, who is continuing to consider expanding its activities to respond to the new influx of people fleeing Khartoum.

Doctors Without Borders. In Sudan MSF works in eleven states of Sudan, including Khartoum and Darfur. MSF teams are treating war wounded in Khartoum and North Darfur, providing healthcare, water and sanitation for refugees and displaced people in Al-Gedaref and Al Jazirah states, treating malnutrition, providing based in the Blue Nile State and donating medical supplies and more to health facilities.