UM RAKUBA – Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) warned that sharp cuts in humanitarian funding are threatening essential services at Um Rakuba Camp in Sudan’s Al Qadarif State, where thousands of Ethiopian refugees and nearby Sudanese host communities rely on limited healthcare, water and shelter assistance.
MSF said several humanitarian organizations have suspended operations at the camp because of funding shortages, leaving major gaps in basic services and increasing pressure on the remaining aid providers.
During a visit to the camp, MSF Head of Mission in Sudan Mohamed Ahmed said Um Rakuba Hospital serves about 17,000 refugees and nearly 100,000 people from surrounding host communities.
He said the withdrawal of humanitarian organizations had affected primary healthcare, access to safe drinking water and shelter support, while MSF had become the only organization providing secondary healthcare services in the area.
The camp has hosted refugees from Ethiopia’s Tigray region since 2020, many of whom fled conflict before facing renewed hardship after Sudan’s war erupted in April 2023 and strained public services across eastern Sudan.
Ahmed said MSF is facing mounting pressure as needs continue to grow and the number of partner organizations declines, calling for increased humanitarian support to sustain healthcare services and meet the basic needs of refugees and host communities.
Humanitarian agencies have repeatedly warned that funding cuts across Sudan are forcing aid groups to scale back operations despite rising needs linked to war, displacement, disease outbreaks and shortages of food, medicine and clean water.
