Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) on Thursday warned of the “devastating” consequences of declining international funding for Sudanese communities, calling on governments and donors to step up support for essential health services.
According to the humanitarian organisation, the impact of reduced aid is now being felt directly on the ground as Sudan faces one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises.
A year and a half after the closure of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in 2025, funding for many organisations operating in the country ended in June, leading to the suspension or closure of several essential services. MSF noted that despite the United States remaining one of Sudan’s main donors, many healthcare providers have been unable to secure alternative funding.
In Central Darfur, 45 primary healthcare centres stopped receiving support in May. At the same time, admissions at MSF-supported facilities in Zalingei and Rokero increased by 22.5% between January and April 2026 compared with the same period in 2025.
“War is driving needs in Sudan to unprecedented levels, while budget cuts are shrinking the humanitarian response,” said Muhammad Ibrahim, MSF’s head of mission in Sudan.
The organisation also reported mounting pressure on facilities that remain operational. In Tanedba camp in Gedaref State, which hosts around 18,400 refugees, the departure of a humanitarian organisation in June led to the closure of maternity and surgical services.
Women requiring caesarean sections must now travel about three hours to access specialised care.
MSF has taken over emergency care at the camp until the end of the year, while warning that it cannot compensate for all the closures of health facilities.
The situation is also concerning in Um Rakuba, where fewer than 10 humanitarian organisations are now operating, compared with around 35 in 2021. The camp is home to nearly 17,000 refugees, mainly women and children.
In the Hamidiya displacement camp in Central Darfur, a facility providing maternity, paediatric and mental health services is now operating at sharply reduced capacity. Daily consultations have fallen from around 200 to 40, while vaccination activities have stopped.
For MSF, these restrictions are worsening a situation already marked by poverty and mass displacement. In Darfur, a worker earns about $1 a day, while transport to a functioning health facility can cost nearly $2.
In Tawila, where nearly 600,000 displaced people have significant humanitarian needs, MSF runs the region’s only 200-bed hospital. Malaria and malnutrition cases are rising even before the peak of the rainy season.
In August, MSF teams admitted 191 children under five suffering from severe malnutrition to their nutrition centre, nearly 22% of whom also had malaria.
The organisation said the funding cuts come as the humanitarian response in Sudan remains severely underfunded. According to data cited by MSF, assistance from European Union institutions fell by 13.8% in 2025, while global humanitarian aid declined by 35.8%.
The United Nations Humanitarian Response Plan for Sudan, estimated at $2.87 billion, is only 41% funded. In addition, around 37% of the country’s health facilities are reportedly completely out of service.
MSF is therefore calling on donors to provide “flexible, predictable and transitional” funding to prevent further disruptions to essential services at a time when health and humanitarian needs continue to grow.
TE/Sf/lb/as/APA