Photo report: 500 days of war, from Sudan to Chad
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Today marks 500 days since Sudan entered the worst humanitarian crisis in its history. It is a shameful moment for international aid agencies and donors who have failed for more than 16 months to adequately address the country’s escalating medical needs, from catastrophic child malnutrition to widespread disease outbreaks. Heavy restrictions imposed by both warring parties have severely limited aid delivery capacities, including our own, says Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).
In eastern Chad, Metche camp hosts around 40,000 Sudanese refugees who have fled violence in Darfur.
The 115-bed MSF hospital in Metche is the main secondary healthcare centre for around 200,000 people, including refugees from Metche and local communities, as well as people from neighbouring camps such as Allacha and Arkoum.
MSF shares a visual account of the daily lives of its field teams, and of Sudanese refugees, at the emergency admissions at MSF Metche hospital, as Sudan faces the worst humanitarian crisis in its history and the largest displacement crisis in the world.
Sena Mahoobg, 16 (left) carries her mother, Amna Abdurahman, 35, with the help of a donkey cart driver who transported them to the emergency room of the MSF hospital in Metche. Amna suffers from a fever and gastroenteritis, like many refugees in the area.
"Access to the facility is difficult due to a poor transfer system. There are only three ambulances available for the entire Ouaddai province, which means that some patients arrive late or even die before reaching the hospital," explains Myriam Laroussi, project coordinator for Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).
Despite the many obstacles to the delivery of medical supplies, the MSF hospital in Metche is running many standard hospital activities. The therapeutic feeding centre is currently the busiest of all and continues to register new admissions of malnourished children.
The majority of refugees and patients are women and children, and almost all families have lost someone.
As Myriam Laroussi, project coordinator for Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), explains, "The resilience of these people is incredible, as is the urgency of their needs (...) while the war continues unabated, people continue to arrive from Sudan."
"If no action is taken to fund and increase humanitarian aid, the crisis will worsen further, exposing refugees to further suffering."
