MSF: Vital supplies for children held by RSF in Darfur

International medical humanitarian organisation Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) lament that medical and nutritional care in famine-scourged Zamzam camp for displaced people in El Fasher, capital of North Darfur, is under threat and in danger of suspension, unless two trucks that are carrying essential nutritional and medical supplies to the camp, are allowed to proceed by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), who are holding them in neighbouring Kabkabiya.

In a post on Twitter/X today, MSF points out that their delegation met with representatives of the RSF in Geneva last week, during which the RSF delegation mentioned their commitment to facilitating humanitarian aid, however “our teams on the ground still haven’t been able to retrieve our two trucks en route to Zamzam camp and held in Kabkabiya by their [RSF] troops. As a result, we continue to struggle to provide lifesaving medical and nutritional care to our patients in Zamzam due to a lack of therapeutic food and other essential supplies”.

MSF underscores that stocks of therapeutic food to treat malnourished children are “running critically low” in Zamzam. “we already had to limit the number of children who could receive this treatment earlier this month and despite the dire malnutrition crisis we will soon be forced to take further measures, including suspending services, if we do not receive our supplies promptly.

The humanitarian crisis in Sudan has reached a critical point, this week marking 500 days of conflict. Millions of people have been displaced, and the country’s health system is on the brink of collapse. Dr Tammam Aloudat, president of the Dutch branch of MSF, has described the situation as one of the worst that MSF is currently facing worldwide.

The collapse of Sudan’s healthcare infrastructure has led to a surge in malnutrition and the spread of diseases such as malaria and diarrhoea, particularly among children. Dr Aloudat highlighted the compounded challenges posed by the rainy season and rising prices, which have made accessing basic necessities even more difficult.

The Zamzam camp is located approximately 11 kilometres south of El Fasher. It is home to half a million displaced people.

On August 1, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) declared a famine in the camp. However, Sudanese authorities denied the report, attributing the food shortages in displacement camps to the RSF siege on El Fasher.