Two-thirds of Sudanese lack access to medical care: WHO chief
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Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says the ongoing conflict in Sudan has left many unable to visit hospitals or see doctors, as thousands are also facing famine.
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Women and children sit outside their tent, set up at a camp for internally displaced Sudanese from Sennar state, in the al-Huri district of Gedaref city east of war-torn Sudan on July 14, 2024. (AFP)
The World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus reported on Thursday that two-thirds of the population in Sudan is unable to access medical care because of the ongoing conflict.
"Two-thirds of people in Sudan cannot go to a hospital or see a doctor due to the ongoing conflict," Ghebreyesus said on X.
Two-thirds of people in #Sudan cannot go to a hospital or see a doctor due to the ongoing conflict. On top of that thousands of people are facing famine.
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) August 8, 2024
We echo @UNOCHA's appeal to the @UN Security Council to help finding a peaceful and lasting solution for the people in…
"On top of that, thousands of people are facing famine," Tedros said.
He supported the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs' call to the Security Council for assistance in finding a peaceful and enduring resolution for the people of Sudan.
25.6 million people threatened by acute food insecurity in Sudan: IPC
The ongoing war in Sudan between the army and the rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has driven the Zamzam camp near Darfur's besieged city of el-Fasher into famine, according to a UN-backed assessment released earlier this month.
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) review, utilized by UN agencies, revealed that "famine is ongoing in July 2024 in Zamzam camp."
"The main drivers of famine in Zamzam camp are conflict and lack of humanitarian access," the report indicated.
Aid organization Plan International highlighted that "the IPC's latest report confirms what we and our fellow humanitarians have feared for months: that children in Sudan, having endured more than a year of harrowing conflict, are now dying of hunger."
Zamzam, a displacement camp in North Darfur state that originally hosted around 300,000 people, has seen its population swell to half a million in just a few weeks due to the fighting in nearby el-Fasher, pointed out Mohammed Qazilbash of Plan International.
Many residents have fled the brutal combat in the state capital, el-Fasher, the only major city in Sudan's vast western Darfur region not under the RSF's control.
The conflict erupted in April 2023 between the army and the RSF after a plan to integrate them failed, with both warring sides seizing territory.
Both sides have been accused of war crimes, including deliberately targeting civilians and obstructing humanitarian aid.
The war has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and displaced over 10 million people, according to the United Nations.
The UN has described the situation as "one of the worst humanitarian crises in recent memory," with the vast majority of relief operations suspended due to the violence.
Read more: Sudan: A borderless conflict
