Pregnant women and children were dying in shocking numbers in Sudan’s South Darfur region, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) Eastern Africa, says.
According to the agency’s comprehensive report dated September 25, the deaths were due to multiple health emergencies with almost no international response.
The report says that the first 8 months of the year had recorded 46 maternal deaths in just two MSF-supported facilities, representing more than 7% of all maternal deaths across MSF facilities worldwide in 2023.
“Around 78 percent of these 46 deaths occurred in the first 24 hours following admission. Sepsis was the most common cause of maternal death in all MSF-supported facilities in South Darfur,” it explains.
The screening of 30,000 children, it adds, revealed that acute malnutrition rates exceeded the WHO emergency threshold, adding that similar problems exist across Sudan, highlighting a significant gap between the needs for healthcare, food, and basic services and the lack of international response.
The MSF reports urges donors, the UN, and international organizations to urgently increase funding and scale up maternal health and nutrition programs across Sudan.
“For these crises to be addressed, the UN must act decisively to prevent further loss of life in Darfur,” the report says.
The UN, it says further, must accelerate the return of its staff and agencies to Darfur and leverage all available resources and political influence to ensure that aid reaches those in need.
“Only a coordinated international response, supported by robust funding and unyielding pressure on the warring parties, can avert mass starvation and alleviate the suffering of millions.”
The report quotes the MSF Sexual and Reproductive Health Activity Manager in Nyala, Gillian Burkhardt, describing the crisis as being “unlike any other I have seen in my career”.
“Multiple health emergencies are happening simultaneously with almost no international response from the UN and others,” Burkhardt is quoted. Nyala, the capital of South Darfur, was a hub for humanitarian organizations before the war. However, since its outbreak in April 2023, most organizations had exited. The UN still has no international staff in the city, where MSF is one of the only international organizations present.