29 March-4 April 2026 Sudan News Summary: disease outbreaks, attacks on El Tina, and Adré border crossing open for aid

5 Apr

Arabic news roundup

By William Greenwood

The Sudanese Ministry of Health announced an increase in dengue fever cases in seven states, along with the registration of hepatitis cases in three Sudanese states, amidst a severe shortage of health services due to the ongoing fighting in the country.
The Ministry of Health's Emergency Operations Center stated in a press release that its surveillance and information report recorded 662 cases of dengue fever in the states of Khartoum, River Nile, Gezira, White Nile, Northern, Gedaref, and Kassala during the past week.
The statement also indicated 48 cases of hepatitis in the states of Gezira, Gedaref, and White Nile, while 103 cases of measles were recorded in the states of North Kordofan, White Nile, West Kordofan, and Northern State.

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) revealed that 457 people injured in attacks on the Sudanese-Chadian border have received treatment from the organization, in collaboration with Chadian Ministry of Health personnel, in the border town of Tine since the beginning of February; of these, 38 have died.
In a press release, the organization explained that drone strikes carried out by the Sudanese Armed Forces, the Rapid Support Forces, and allied groups continue to target civilian areas along the Sudanese-Chadian border.
MSF warned of the devastating impact on civilians caught in the crossfire, given the prevailing insecurity and the lack of sufficient resources to provide medical support.

The UN has welcomed the Sudanese government's announcement that the Adré border crossing in Chad will remain open for the passage of humanitarian supplies and the entry of humanitarian workers into Sudan until the end of June.
The Sudanese government has periodically announced three-month extensions of the Adré crossing's opening to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to Darfur.
Since the beginning of 2024, more than 118,000 metric tons of vital aid have crossed through this crossing, enough to feed more than 3 million people, according to UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric.
Dujarric told the daily press briefing that this is of critical importance, especially given warnings from humanitarian workers that escalating violence and displacement are pushing humanitarian needs to unprecedented levels.
Dujarric also said that the UN is working with its partners to scale up the humanitarian response, with the Sudanese Red Crescent Society providing hot meals to newly arrived families in displacement camps.
The 2024 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan requires The 2026 plan sought $2.9 billion to reach more than 20 million people across Sudan, but has so far received only 16 percent of the required funding, with total funds received amounting to $461 million.

By Samuel Hunt

In South Kordofan, an attack on the city of Dilling killed at least 14 civilians, including five children and two women, after RSF and allied forces shelled residential areas, leaving dozens wounded.
Doctors Without Borders reports that in Darfur there is “no safe place” for women and girls, with sexual violence occurring both on front lines and far beyond, described as systematic and widespread abuse used to control civilians.
A Lancet analysis warns Sudan’s health system is collapsing as returnees and displaced populations face severe gaps in care, with damaged infrastructure, limited services and growing unmet medical needs compounding the crisis.

Bill Greenwood