'Profound failure to protect the vulnerable': MSF director sounds alarm on Sudan

Charity executive Stephen Cornish tells The National of immense suffering in the war-torn country, where millions are struggling to survive

Sudanese wait for cash handouts from the World Food Programme at a camp for internally displaced people in Port Sudan in October. Bloomberg

There has been a profound failure to protect the war-stricken people of Sudan, the general director of international charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has told The National, following a visit during which he heard constant pleas for “food, safety and medical care”.

In an exclusive interview, Stephen Cornish, who recently toured MSF centres in Sudan, shed light on the harrowing reality for ordinary Sudanese in a nation enduring a humanitarian crisis of unprecedented proportions.

Since the outbreak of the civil war in April 2023, Sudan has been engulfed in a relentless cycle of violence and suffering. The conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has left tens of thousands dead, 11 million displaced and 26 million facing acute hunger.

“This is not just a humanitarian crisis; it is a profound failure to protect the most vulnerable,” Mr Cornish said.

MSF, one of the few international organisations operating in both SAF and RSF-controlled areas, has been at the forefront of providing medical humanitarian aid to the most affected populations.

With a team of more than 1,500 staff, including 130 from abroad, MSF has been grappling with myriad challenges posed by the conflict, including violence, displacement, malnutrition, and infectious disease outbreaks.

The scale of the health crisis is staggering with frequent outbreaks of disease, particularly cholera and malaria. Frequent air strikes have ravaged the country's healthcare infrastructure.

“In 2024, in El Fasher, repeated attacks since May have left only one hospital partially operational for surgeries,” Mr Cornish said. “In South Khartoum, MSF teams at Al Bashair Hospital have treated over 4,200 trauma cases, including gunshot and bomb-blast injuries. One in six patients was a child under 15.”

Malnutrition has reached catastrophic levels, with famine declared in the Zamzam displacement camp in August and the UN warning in December that famine was expected to spread to five more regions in Sudan in 2025.

Acute malnutrition rates among children in the Zamzam camp, which has been shelled numerous times over the past few weeks, are more than double the emergency thresholds set by the WHO, said Mr Cornish, adding that similar rates were recorded in the cities of Nyala and El Gedaref.

“In almost all the camps MSF works in Darfur, one third of children are malnourished,” Mr Cornish said. “MSF teams on the ground are witnessing this unfolding disaster first hand across both SAF and RSF-controlled territories.”

The psychological toll of the conflict on the Sudanese people is immeasurable, with the trauma of ethnically motivated sexual assaults and gender-based violence leaving deep scars.

Mr Cornish said “the mental health needs of the population will be immense and will require a sustained and comprehensive response long after the conflict ends”.

The challenges faced by humanitarian workers are also huge. Attacks on healthcare centres and staff by militiamen have become alarmingly frequent, with MSF documenting more than 80 violent incidents against its staff and centres in 2024 alone.

“If we can't ensure the safety of our staff, we are forced to suspend or, in the worst case, halt our activities,” Mr Cornish said. “The normalisation of attacks on healthcare and humanitarian workers is a dire trend that calls for urgent action.”

He pointed to a December report released by the World Health Organisation which decried a marked increase in attacks on healthcare workers in several war zones worldwide in 2024.

“The WHO verified over 1,200 attacks on healthcare across multiple countries, including Sudan, Gaza, and Ukraine. These attacks have caused significant casualties and disrupted essential services, representing clear violations of international humanitarian law,” he added.

Furthermore, logistical obstacles, such as bureaucratic barriers, insecurity, road closures, and limited transportation options, have severely hindered relief efforts and aid deliveries. Such barriers are often put in place by both sides in the war to ensure the other does not have a political advantage through aid deliveries.

“Access to humanitarian aid in Sudan remains critically restricted,” Mr Cornish said. “Basic needs such as food, clean water, shelter, and sanitation remain largely unmet, compounding the health crisis.”

He added that looting of essential supplies and frequent blockades, which prevent humanitarian workers from crossing borders into neighbouring countries that house large numbers of displaced Sudanese, have also been a massive hindrance to MSF’s operations.

But amid the chaos and despair, glimmers of hope still emerge in stories of resilience and determination among ordinary people. Mr Cornish recounted a tale of three young brothers at Adre camp for Sudanese refugees, in the east of neighbouring Chad, who despite hardships still dream of becoming footballers. “They created their own makeshift tournament in Adre camp, a small way to hold on to a piece of their childhood,” he said.

Mr Cornish also highlighted the crucial role played by local communities and volunteers in Sudan, who have taken on a significant portion of the relief efforts, often at great personal risk. At the same time, the international community's response to the crisis has been woefully inadequate, he said.

“The response from the international community is in no way commensurate with the enormous needs we see in Sudan,” Mr Cornish said. “The people in Sudan have suffered in silence for far too long. We still see the gaps in response from other humanitarian organisations, including the UN, even in areas where access and security are not challenges, such as the refugee camps in eastern Chad.”

MSF has been at the forefront of advocating for increased support. The organisation recently allocated an additional 50 million euros of funding for Sudan during the final months of 2024 and into 2025. It also received a €35 million donation from the IKEA Foundation.

However, Mr Cornish stressed that more needs to be done. “MSF alone cannot meet the vast challenges, and we call on other humanitarian organisations and stakeholders to scale up their efforts,” he said.

“We urge audiences like yours to act: mobilise, raise awareness within their communities, and advocate for Sudan's people, who cannot afford further delay.”

The UN Security Council has been deadlocked on Sudan, and to date, “key states with influence on the parties to the conflict have been unwilling to use the leverage they have or to truly encourage the warring parties to respect their obligations towards civilians”, Mr Cornish added.

“The warring parties ultimately are responsible for their actions and must ensure the protection of civilians and enable access to aid.”