Sudan, three months of bloody fighting: thousands displaced in Port Sudan, hoping to flee to Egypt or Saudi Arabia

ROME – Still these days, “dal Salam – the heart surgery center of Emergency in Khartoum – we hear the sounds of fighting. There was heavy gunfire and we saw columns of smoke rising.” Three months after the beginning of the armed clashes in Sudan, Franco – Medical Coordinator of our Heart Surgery Center in Sudan – tells us about the situation in Khartoum.

The witness. “Salam’s activities continue, albeit at a reduced pace. We continue to operate and hospitalize patients, to make check-ups and anticoagulant therapy, but “many patients are unable to arrive, transport is difficult if not impossible”, in such an insecure context. For every patient who manages to reach Salam, many more are blocked by the war, waiting for the treatment they need. Even some of our colleagues, who used to take an hour to get to the hospital, now have to face a 6-hour journey. A health catastrophe, of which the country will pay the consequences for a long time “.

The situation in Sudan. Armed clashes between the Sudanese government army and paramilitary militias Rapid Support Forces they began on the morning of April 15, 2023 from the streets of the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, after the strife of recent weeks has resulted in acts of violence and conflict in various centers of the country. EMERGENCY it immediately remodeled its activities in Sudan, where it is present with the Salam Center for cardiac surgery in Khartoum, and with the pediatric centers of Mayo (Khartoum), Nyala (South Darfur) and Port Sudan where it offers free treatment to children under 14 years of age.

Ensure continuity. In Khartoum, the activities of the Salam Center for cardiac surgery continue to ensure the continuity of care necessary for the survival of patients still hospitalized. In Port Sudan and Nyala the Pediatric Centers are open. However, the Mayo Pediatric Center remains closed for safety reasons.

The situation in Port Sudan. “Since the conflict broke out in Sudan, thousands of displaced people have reached Port Sudan, hoping to be able to escape to countries such as Egypt or Saudi Arabia”. Mutasim, our Medical Coordinator in Port Sudan, updates us on the situation in the city and on the activities of our Pediatric Center. “The number of patients who come to us has doubled compared to a year ago: 60 children a day, even more than 100 on Sundays.

Drain all economic resources. Most suffer from sickle cell anemia or respiratory diseases, made even more acute by the heat: here temperatures have reached 40 degrees”. “The war has dried up all economic resources,” continues Mutasim. “Many have lost their jobs and have nothing left. Their children need treatment and vaccinations: they know that they can receive them from us without having to pay”.