After two years of war in Sudan, the world can no longer plead ignorance

"I feared I would lose him until we came to this hospital, where he is getting special milk and medicines. He can now move, has resumed breastfeeding and can even smile. Without the care at this stabilisation centre, I would have lost him." Yet, too few of these stories reach the headlines. This silence is dangerous. It breeds indifference and will cost more lives.

Devastated health system

The war has left Sudan's health system devastated, especially in hard-to-reach areas. In assessed states, 62% of health facilities are partially functional, and the remaining 32% are out of service, with a lack of clarity from other hard-to-reach areas like the Darfurs and Kordofans. Patients can't access basic treatments due to ongoing fighting and repeated attacks on health facilities and health workers.

Two-thirds of all states in Sudan are experiencing more than three different disease outbreaks, including cholera, measles, malaria, dengue and diphtheria. Cholera alone has killed over 1,500 people.

Malnutrition is widespread among children, pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers. Famine has been confirmed in five areas and is projected to expand to 17, with tens of thousands of lives at immediate risk.

With our partners, WHO is in Sudan, working to ensure people can access the required care. Despite severely restricted access to people in need and ongoing attacks on health, we deliver life-saving medical supplies, support hospitals and health centres, and run vaccination campaigns.

Since the conflict started, with WHO's support, over 1 million patients have received treatment in hospitals, health centres and mobile clinics. Some 11.5 million children have been vaccinated against polio and measles, and 12.8 million people have received cholera vaccines. WHO is supporting stabilisation centres, where during the last two years, 75,000 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition with medical complications have received treatment.

WHO's response to this crisis has been made possible by generous contributions from partners like the Central Emergency Response Fund, the Japan International Cooperation Agency, the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre, the EU, France, Germany, Italy, the US and others. Yet, continuous support is critical in 2025 for WHO's $135mn-worth response plan—79% of which is unfunded.

WHO is determined to continue supporting Sudan's people, but we need access to and protection for civilians, humanitarians, and medical personnel. Since the conflict started, WHO has verified 156 attacks on health facilities, ambulances, staff and patients, resulting in 318 deaths and 273 injuries. Health workers and facilities must never be targets. In fact, they are protected under international humanitarian law. But there has been blatant disregard for these obligations.

Regional threat

Sudan's crisis is no longer just a national tragedy; it has become a regional threat. The conflict threatens to destabilise neighbouring countries and risks fuelling further displacement, disease and insecurity in the region.

A week after my mission to Sudan, I was in Chad, which hosts over 750,000 Sudanese people. I met families who had walked for days to cross the border in search of safety. Some said their homes had been burned, crops destroyed, and animals stolen. They left and arrived with nothing. When I asked what they needed most, the awful answer I heard again and again was: 'Food. We are hungry.'

We can't say we don't know what's happening. The facts are clear, and the stories are harrowing. What is missing is more action. We need sustained, unhindered humanitarian access to reach those in greatest need, adequate funding to supply life-saving aid, and above all, a high-level commitment to ending the war.