KHARTOUM – Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said Sudan’s war has dismantled vaccination programs and weakened disease surveillance systems, fueling the spread of preventable and controllable outbreaks across the country.
The medical charity said it treated more than 40,000 cholera cases in 2025 alone, warning that civilians who survive the fighting remain at risk of dying from diseases that could be prevented or treated if health services and humanitarian access were restored.
Sudan’s health system has been severely disrupted since the war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) erupted in April 2023, with hospitals damaged, medical staff displaced, vaccination campaigns interrupted and disease monitoring systems weakened in several parts of the country.
MSF said its teams remain on the ground and are ready to scale up emergency responses if new outbreaks occur. However, it said insecurity, restrictions on humanitarian access, administrative obstacles and delays in moving medical supplies continue to hamper efforts to reach affected communities.
The organization called on donors and health authorities to provide increased and flexible funding for Sudan’s health and humanitarian response. It also urged the warring parties to remove administrative barriers, open supply routes and ensure safe passage for humanitarian workers and medical aid.
Disease outbreaks have become an increasing concern in Sudan as displacement, overcrowded shelters, poor sanitation, limited clean water and the collapse of basic health services expose millions of civilians to heightened risks.
MSF warned that without urgent action, preventable diseases will continue to spread and deaths from treatable illnesses will rise, stressing that rapid and safe humanitarian access is essential to saving lives.
