Vaccines for children destroyed as ‘UN vehicle abused by Commissioner’ in Sudan’s El Gedaref

Large quantities of vaccines for children have reportedly been rendered useless after the Commissioner of Gala El Nahal locality in Sudan’s El Gedaref allegedly ordered a temperature-controlled UN vehicle to be used to transport passengers.

Voluntary workers of Gala El Nahal locality in El Gedaref hold the locality commissioner responsible for the destruction of “large quantities of immunisation vaccines for children”.

Activist Hasan Ahmed told Radio Dabanga that the locality commissioner was using the UN vaccination vehicle for organisational purposes for the National Congress Party and the Islamic Movement.

Ahmed explained that the locality commissioner ordered the driver of the temperature-controlled vehicle which carries United Nations plates to transport a delegation of sheikhs of the Islamic Movement to El Gedaref for an organisational affair, while the vehicle was loaded with vulnerable vaccines. Ahmed said the vaccines were rendered completely useless due to the high temperature and lack of ice to save them.

He pointed out that the locality commissioner prevented the driver of the vehicle from returning to Gala El Nahal to keep the vaccines in health stores in the locality or buy sufficient quantities of ice.

Activists called for an investigation with the locality commissioner.