Sudan's healthcare system is on the brink of collapse, with global funding cuts leading to the closure of healthcare facilities across the country, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has warned. The medical charity stated that dozens of organisations were unable to secure alternative funding after the US, Sudan's largest donor, closed USAID last year.
MSF urged world leaders, who are gathering at the UN General Assembly in New York, to take action. The conflict that began in April 2023 between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has resulted in over 33 million people requiring medical assistance.
While the US remains the largest donor to Sudan, existing grants to many USAID-funded organisations expired in June, coinciding with European governments also reducing international assistance. According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), international aid globally decreased by 21.3% in 2025 compared to the previous year.
Muhammad Ibrahim, MSF's head in Sudan, stated that "War is driving Sudan's needs; funding cuts are shrinking the response." He added that when funding for other health services disappears, clinics close, increasing pressure on remaining facilities, including those run by MSF.
This situation forces patients to undertake dangerous and lengthy journeys for treatment, often arriving in a more serious condition. Sebastián Traficante, MSF's emergency co-ordinator in Darfur, noted that admissions in MSF-supported facilities in central Darfur jumped by 22.5% between January and April 2026 compared to the same period last year. In May alone, 45 healthcare centres in the area stopped receiving funding.
MSF reported that the closure of frontline services is straining other hospitals, leading to a loss of capacity and disappearing medicines. For example, in Gedaref state's Tanedba camp, the maternity and surgical wards closed after a humanitarian organisation left in June. MSF is now running an emergency room there, but pregnant women needing surgery must travel three hours to the nearest city.
The charity also highlighted that attacks on healthcare workers are continuing. In 2025, Sudan recorded 1,620 deaths from attacks on medical facilities, accounting for 82% of all global deaths from such attacks. The UN also states that over 19.5 million people are experiencing "crisis levels" of food insecurity, with more than five million facing "emergency levels of hunger."
Reports from North Kordofan state on Tuesday indicate that at least 11 people were killed in a drone attack on the army-controlled town of Umm Ruwaba. Medical sources reported that the projectile struck a crowded courtyard in a court complex.