Doctors Without Borders has announced the suspension of its work in Sudan’s Zamzam camp due to an increase in violence. Fighting between the Sudanese military and the Rapid Support Forces has intensified in North Darfur, making it unsafe for the international medical aid organization, known by its French name Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), to continue providing critical humanitarian assistance to the thousands of displaced individuals in the area. Consequently, all activities, including operations at its field hospital, have been indefinitely halted.
“It is a heart-wrenching decision to cease our project amid an escalating disaster in Zamzam,” lamented Yahya Kalilah, MSF’s head of mission in Sudan. Kalilah highlighted the dilemmas of working close to conflict zones, delivering essential supplies, having insufficient experienced staff, and facing uncertain escape routes. These challenges have left MSF with no other option but to suspend its operations.
The turmoil in Sudan began in April 2023, leading to an all-out war between the regular army and the RSF. This conflict initially took root in the capital, Khartoum, before spreading to other regions. It has resulted in over 24,000 fatalities, displaced more than 14 million residents, and fostered widespread famine throughout the country.
The violence in the Zamzam camp intensified on February 11-12, according to MSF. During this period, the field hospital treated 130 individuals with injuries, primarily from gunshots and shrapnel. Unfortunately, the hospital is not equipped to perform trauma surgeries on critically injured patients, as it was intended to address severe malnutrition prevalent in the camp.
Kalilah shared that 11 individuals, five of them children, succumbed to their injuries as the team was unable to provide adequate care or referrals to facilities in El Fasher, the regional capital. Conflict in the vicinity has worsened access to food and water as central market resources have been exhausted due to looting and fires.
Hosting around 500,000 residents, the Zamzam camp continues to receive incoming families from nearby regions such as Abu Zerega, Shagra, and Saluma, who reported instances of violence and abuse, including killings, sexual assaults, looting, and beatings. “Earlier this year and last December, two of our ambulances, transporting patients to El Fasher, were attacked by gunfire,” explained Kalilah. “The danger has escalated, trapping many individuals, including those in urgent need of trauma surgery or emergency caesarean procedures, within Zamzam.”
