Médecins Sans Frontières' immediate response teams are ready to provide assistance in embattled Sudan. The organization is calling on the warring parties to ensure the safety of medical personnel and patients. It is also calling for medical supplies to be able to be delivered to medical facilities and those in need.

Médecins Sans Frontières has no plans to leave Sudan and continues to provide aid where possible. The organization is analyzing where and how to scale up its response to the crisis. For this, it is necessary to ensure the safety of patients and staff. Due to the conflict, airports across the country have become the scene of heavy fighting, have been damaged and have remained closed since April 15.

- Experienced Doctors Without Borders immediate response teams are on standby to enter Sudan to scale up our operations. Meanwhile, we are identifying the best ways and means to get humanitarian and medical supplies into the country ," says Kate Nolan, deputy director of operations for Doctors Without Borders.

- The reopening of the airports is necessary so that we can bring in additional medical supplies and additional personnel. Especially surgical teams to support the surgeons who are currently working in Al-Fashir, North Darfur ," explains Draginja Nadaždin, director of Doctors Without Borders in Poland. - Without the necessary medical supplies, even more people will lose their lives. Médecins Sans Frontières is calling on parties to the conflict to ensure the safe transport of medical supplies and equipment inside the country to deliver them to medical facilities and those who need help. Humanitarian aid must be respected and protected.

Humanitarian situation

Facilities supported by Médecins Sans Frontières continue to treat patients in the provinces of Khartoum, Blue Nile, North Darfur, West Darfur, Central Darfur, Al-Qadarif, in the towns of Ad-Damazin, Kreinik, Omdurman and Rokero, in the Um Rakuba refugee camp and in eastern Sudan. Médecins Sans Frontières maintains its commitment to providing medical assistance to the people of Sudan, especially at such a dramatic time.

A large number of wounded people continue to arrive at the hospital in Al-Fashir, North Darfur, supported by Doctors Without Borders. The hospital is overcrowded and the medical staff, working around the clock, is extremely overworked.

- Recently, Doctors Without Borders managed to transfer medical supplies to a health facility in Khartoum during a pause in the fighting. We are in contact with hospitals and Sudanese medical authorities and associations attempting to supply additional hospitals and facilities within the capital, but due to the ongoing fighting this is almost impossible , says Dr. Ghazali Babiker, director of Doctors Without Borders in Sudan.

- Humanitarian needs in Sudan were enormous even before the violence erupted in mid-April. The current situation is bringing tremendous suffering and uncertainty to people in Sudan. It is forcing them to abandon their homes and seek refuge far from home," Draginja Nadaždin explained.

Thousands of people have fled Khartoum for Wad Madani. Médecins Sans Frontières teams, including staff from Khartoum and the project in Ad-Damazin, are analyzing how best to respond to the needs there.

Staff safety

Some of the Médecins Sans Frontières teams forced to take cover from the shelling for more than a week have been relocated to safer places. Some of the personnel have joined their loved ones, for some there are plans to leave the country.

- We are in constant contact with all our staff. Their safety is our top priority and we are grateful for the support we are receiving to safely relocate our teams," says Dr. Abubakr Bashir Bakri of Doctors Without Borders Sudan. - We reiterate our call on all parties involved in the fighting to respect their obligations under humanitarian law to ensure the safety of medical personnel and medical facilities. To allow the safe movement of our teams, ambulances and civilians seeking medical attention, and to facilitate the movement of humanitarian aid workers.

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