25-31 May: Hospitals attacked in El Obeid, 25 million suffering from hunger across Sudan

1 Jun

By William Greenwood

Deaths in RSF attack on two hospitals as Khartoum struggles to combat cholera

Six Sudanese were killed on Friday when Rapid Support Forces shelled two hospitals and residential neighbourhoods in the city of El Obeid, according to a military source.
World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus was “horrified” by the El Obeid attack, adding "Attacks on health facilities must stop... We call for the protection of all health infrastructure and personnel. The best medicine is peace."
This came hours after a military source confirmed that the Rapid Support Forces "bombed Al-Daman Hospital with a drone, killing six and wounding 12. At the same time, they shelled neighbourhoods in El Obeid with heavy artillery”, indicating that the bombing targeted another hospital.

The World Health Organization Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, Hanan Balkhi, stated that "famine in Sudan is affecting 25 million people, including 770,000 children," who will face severe acute malnutrition this year.
In a briefing to the United Nations Correspondents' Association, Balkhi added that "the simultaneous outbreaks of cholera, polio, measles, dengue fever, and malaria are also impacting the health system, which has been devastated by the conflict."
The GSLF stressed that this move comes within the context of its commitment to international humanitarian law and ensuring the protection of humanitarian workers and the continuity of services to those in need.

The Sudan News Agency (SUNA) quoted Ibrahim Al-Awad Ahmed, the acting Minister of Health of Sennar state, as saying that the isolation centre in Singa is now free of any cases, while 13 cases remain at the Sennar isolation centre.
Mohamed Taj El-Din, Director of the General Department of Emergency and Epidemic Control in Sennar Health, revealed that the number of suspected cholera cases as of Friday had reached 91, including 7 deaths, 67 recoveries, 13 cases in the Sennar isolation centre, two cases in Al-Jazirah, and one in Al-Gadarif.
Fatima Mohamed Abdel-Halim, Director of the General Administration of Primary Healthcare in Sennar Health, confirmed that "interventions are ongoing," including fogging and spraying, improving water safety, and environmental sanitation.
The Director General of Sennar Teaching Hospital, who oversees the isolation centre in Sennar, confirmed that the number of cases admitted has decreased significantly, noting that the situation has begun to stabilise.

In a devastating blow to efforts to combat one of the world's most neglected tropical diseases, the World Health Organisation office in Sudan announced the destruction of the country's only Mycetoma research centre.
Dr. Ahmed Al-Fahal, founder and director of the centre, confirms, "We have lost all the contents of our biobanks, which contained data from more than 40 years ago."
This data represents an invaluable treasure for researchers around the world, and its loss will significantly hamper our understanding of the disease and the development of new treatments.

Bill Greenwood