What is happening in Sudan?

Relentless violence

Since the SAF took over Khartoum in May 2025, fighting intensified in El Fasher which has become the epicentre of atrocities, with alarming trends of ethnically motivated attacks and killings. This adds to the tight siege of the city and its nearby displacement sites for over a year. From May to July 2025, MSF teams treated 7,943 patients in the Emergency Room of the Tawila Hospital, an increase of nearly 30 percent compared to the previous three months.

Millions of people have fled their homes

As of September 2025, nearly 12 million people have been forcibly displaced since the conflict began. This includes more than 4 million fleeing to seek safety in neighbouring countries such as South Sudan, Chad and Egypt. Displaced people across the country and region are now sheltering in crowded and often precarious conditions.

Healthcare is under attack

Horrific attacks on healthcare in Sudan are leaving civilians without lifesaving care. As of June 2025 at least 622 attacks on Sudan’s healthcare system were recorded, with 157 facilities damaged, 147 health workers killed, and 104 injured. Around 70–80 percent of health facilities in conflict-affected areas of Sudan are either non-functional or barely operational. In 2025 alone, MSF has documented over 65 violent incidents targeting its staff, facilities, vehicles, and supplies.

Humanitarian aid is being deliberately blocked

A staggering 30 million people are estimated to need humanitarian assistance in Sudan and MSF has been working with the Ministry of Health to treat some of this vast number of people who require urgent medical care. However, the Government of Sudan has repeatedly and deliberately obstructed humanitarian aid, especially to areas outside of SAF control.

There is a catastrophic food crisis

The conflict has disrupted food supply across Sudan and people have been cut off from their jobs, meaning millions now face a new crisis: hunger. In March 2025, humanitarian organisations (including MSF and the UN) conducted a rapid assessment and reported 38 percent of children under five in El Fasher displacement sites are acutely malnourished. Across Sudan, the condition is widespread an rising. Over 8.7 million people face emergency or famine-level food insecurity as staple prices soar 430 percent.

Pregnant women and children are dying in shocking numbers

In a crisis within a crisis, women and children are facing dangerous but preventable conditions. One MSF report found a staggering mortality rate among pregnant patients, driven by malnutrition, unsanitary environments and the collapse of everyday healthcare.

Infectious disease outbreaks

Sudan is in the midst of a cholera outbreak, first declared in August 2024. Since then, Sudan’s Ministry of Health has reported over 99,700 suspected cases and more than 2,470 deaths. Initially concentrated in the east of the country and reported earlier this year in Khartoum, the outbreak has since expanded westward, with Darfur becoming a major hotspot since June 2025. Today, the situation is particularly critical in South, Central, and North Darfur.

What is MSF doing in Sudan?

MSF works across Sudan with a team of more than 1,400 Sudanese and international staff. Right now, our expert teams:

Provide emergency treatment and carry out surgeries, including trauma care, for war-wounded and non-war-related injuries

Run mobile clinics for displaced people sheltering in camps and at transit sites

Provide safe maternity and paediatric healthcare

Run therapeutic feeding programmes for children suffering from malnutrition

Treat infectious diseases and deliver vaccination programmes in response to outbreaks

Provide mental health support for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence

Deliver essential safe water and sanitation services

Donate critical medical supplies and equipment to healthcare facilities, and provide training and logistical support to Ministry of Health staff