Cairo: A plane carrying eight tonnes of emergency medical aid landed in Cairo on Sunday Sudan to replenish hospitals devastated by more than two weeks of fighting between forces loyal to rival generals.
The supplies are enough to treat hundreds of injured, as the death toll from the nationwide violence has topped 400.
The conflict broke out on 15 April between the country’s army and its paramilitary forces, and threatens to push Sudan into a raging civil war.
More than two-thirds of hospitals in areas with active fighting are out of service, a national doctors’ association said, citing shortages of medical supplies, health workers, water and electricity.
A plane carrying medical aid took off from Jordan and landed in the city on Sunday port sudanInternational Committee of the Red Cross said.
The ICRC said supplies including anaesthetics, dressings, sutures and other surgical materials are sufficient to treat more than 1,000 people injured in the conflict.
“The hope is to transport this material to some of the most critically busy hospitals in the capital, to Khartoum and other hot spots,” said Patrick Youssef, the ICRC’s regional director for Africa.
The Sudan Doctors’ Syndicate, which monitors casualties, said on Sunday that 425 civilians had been killed and 2,091 wounded in the past two weeks.
The Sudanese health ministry on Saturday put the total death toll, including fighters, at 528 and the number of wounded at 4,500.
Some of the deadliest battles have taken place in Khartoum. The fight pits the army chief, General Abdel Fattah Burhan, against General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, who heads a paramilitary group known as the Rapid Support Force.
The generals, with powerful foreign backers, were allies in the October 2021 military coup that halted Sudan’s proper transition to democracy, but they have since turned against each other.
Ordinary Sudanese are caught in the crossfire. Tens have fled to neighboring countries, including Chad and Egypt, while others are clutching with dwindling supplies.
Thousands of foreigners have been evacuated in airlift and land convoys.
On Sunday, fighting continued in different parts of the capital, where artillery fire was heard by residents hiding in their homes.
Despite repeated attempts by international mediators, there has been a reduction in fighting, but has never seen a complete ceasefire.
Over the weekend, residents reported that shops were reopening in some areas of Khartoum and normalcy was slowly returning as the level of fighting subsided following a ceasefire.
But in other areas, horrified residents reported rumbling explosions and homes ransacked around them.
ICRC official Yusuf said the agency is in touch with top commands on both sides to ensure that medical aid can safely reach hospitals.
“With today’s news, we are really hoping that this becomes part of a stable coordination mechanism to allow other flights to arrive,” he said.
Youssef said more medical aid was ready to flow into Khartoum pending necessary approvals and security guarantees.
Sudan’s healthcare system is about to collapse with dozens of hospitals out of service. Many aid agencies had to suspend operations and evacuate staff.
A US warship also arrived in Port Sudan on Sunday to evacuate more American citizens, according to footage from the Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya TV channel.
Most of the estimated 16,000 Americans currently in Sudan are believed to be dual US-Sudanese citizens.
The Defense Department said in a statement on Saturday that it was moving naval assets toward the Sudanese coast to support further evacuations.
The supplies are enough to treat hundreds of injured, as the death toll from the nationwide violence has topped 400.
The conflict broke out on 15 April between the country’s army and its paramilitary forces, and threatens to push Sudan into a raging civil war.
More than two-thirds of hospitals in areas with active fighting are out of service, a national doctors’ association said, citing shortages of medical supplies, health workers, water and electricity.
A plane carrying medical aid took off from Jordan and landed in the city on Sunday port sudanInternational Committee of the Red Cross said.
The ICRC said supplies including anaesthetics, dressings, sutures and other surgical materials are sufficient to treat more than 1,000 people injured in the conflict.
“The hope is to transport this material to some of the most critically busy hospitals in the capital, to Khartoum and other hot spots,” said Patrick Youssef, the ICRC’s regional director for Africa.
The Sudan Doctors’ Syndicate, which monitors casualties, said on Sunday that 425 civilians had been killed and 2,091 wounded in the past two weeks.
The Sudanese health ministry on Saturday put the total death toll, including fighters, at 528 and the number of wounded at 4,500.
Some of the deadliest battles have taken place in Khartoum. The fight pits the army chief, General Abdel Fattah Burhan, against General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, who heads a paramilitary group known as the Rapid Support Force.
The generals, with powerful foreign backers, were allies in the October 2021 military coup that halted Sudan’s proper transition to democracy, but they have since turned against each other.
Ordinary Sudanese are caught in the crossfire. Tens have fled to neighboring countries, including Chad and Egypt, while others are clutching with dwindling supplies.
Thousands of foreigners have been evacuated in airlift and land convoys.
On Sunday, fighting continued in different parts of the capital, where artillery fire was heard by residents hiding in their homes.
Despite repeated attempts by international mediators, there has been a reduction in fighting, but has never seen a complete ceasefire.
Over the weekend, residents reported that shops were reopening in some areas of Khartoum and normalcy was slowly returning as the level of fighting subsided following a ceasefire.
But in other areas, horrified residents reported rumbling explosions and homes ransacked around them.
ICRC official Yusuf said the agency is in touch with top commands on both sides to ensure that medical aid can safely reach hospitals.
“With today’s news, we are really hoping that this becomes part of a stable coordination mechanism to allow other flights to arrive,” he said.
Youssef said more medical aid was ready to flow into Khartoum pending necessary approvals and security guarantees.
Sudan’s healthcare system is about to collapse with dozens of hospitals out of service. Many aid agencies had to suspend operations and evacuate staff.
A US warship also arrived in Port Sudan on Sunday to evacuate more American citizens, according to footage from the Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya TV channel.
Most of the estimated 16,000 Americans currently in Sudan are believed to be dual US-Sudanese citizens.
The Defense Department said in a statement on Saturday that it was moving naval assets toward the Sudanese coast to support further evacuations.