What is happening in Sudan?
On this first episode of The Humanitarian Lens podcast from Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) USA, join host Avril Benoît and MSF doctor Mohammed Fadlalla for a deep dive into the spiraling humanitarian emergency in Sudan.
More than two years of war in Sudan between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF)
have left more than 30 million people in need humanitarian aid. More than 12 million have fled their homes, including millions of refugees who have crossed into neighboring Chad and South Sudan.
Sudan's health system has been pushed to the point of collapse, and medical needs in the country are dire. And this crisis is unfolding amid unprecedented cuts to international humanitarian aid, not only from the US government but other nations, which have caused massive disruption to global health and humanitarian programs.
Dr. Fadlalla has completed multiple assignments in Sudan with MSF over the past five years, including most recently in Omdurman, Sudan’s second most populous city. In this episode, he shares his experience coordinating medical activities, working closely with locally hired Sudanese colleagues and staff from Sudan’s Ministry of Health in two hospitals in Omdurman from mid-November 2024 to March 6, 2025.
Learn more about the crisis in Sudan and MSF’s work on our website: https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/latest/sudan-crisis-response
Follow MSF USA on social media for updates about our medical humanitarian work. Instagram / LinkedIn / BlueSky
00:00-00:43 - Mass casualty events in Sudan.
00:46-01:40 - What's happening in Sudan?
01:42-03:20 - Dr. Mohammed Fadlalla, his background and experience in Sudan.
03:20-06:52 - What working in the city of Omdurman was like, a description of the context and the two hospitals that MSF supported.
06:52-09:22 - What the MSF medical team did day to day, the kinds of cases they saw, what the needs were
.09:22-11:11 - Dr. Fadlalla’s recent experience in Omdurman as compared to his previous experience in Sudan.
11:11-14:47 - Avril Benoît describes the people and conditions she witnessed in Darfur in 2024 and in previous visits to the region.
14:47-16:16 - Heartbreaking situations Dr. Fadlalla experienced in Omdurman, including the case of a malnourished child.
16:17-17:42 - The difficult situation of the elderly in Sudan and in other war-affected areas.
17:42-20:20 - Dr. Fadlalla describes witnessing how civilians are impacted by the war in Sudan.
20:21-22:29 - How Dr. Fadlalla communicates about his experiences at home in US after he returns from Sudan.
