• Africa Foreign countries evacuate their nationals in Sudan as the country is stained with blood

El Geneina means "the garden" in Arabic, but its translation does not reflect the harsh reality experienced by its inhabitants. At least 500 people are estimated to have been killed since the conflict erupted, and a similar number of wounded remain trapped in the city, unable to receive medical care. No one can penetrate the city to help them, and no one can get them out of there either. An MSF surgical team is waiting in Adré, Chad, but it is currently impossible to evacuate patients due to ongoing fighting.

El Geneina is the capital of West Darfur state and has suffered violence and displacement for decades. During the first days of the current conflict, the city remained calm, which seemed to indicate that the violence would not reach it. However, on 24 April there were heavy clashes between the parties to the conflict, joined by young people from different communities who took up arms in self-defence. This situation led to clashes and looting. The area, inhabited by a mixed population and without clear community control, quickly became a focus of intense clashes and frequent looting.

The population of El Geneina was caught in the spiral of violence and insecurity, which endangered their lives not only because of the fighting, but also because of the difficulties in accessing health care. All of this affects all demographic groups: pregnant women, children, and everyone seeking medical care. Added to their daily problems is limited access to basic necessities such as drinking water.

Over the past few years, our teams have supported El Geneina University Hospital, the largest health facility in Western Darfur. MSF managed inpatient paediatric and nutrition units, infection prevention control measures and water and sanitation services. The hospital not only served the population of El Geneina and the nearest displacement camps, but also the rest of Western Darfur.

On 26 April, the hospital was looted and is currently not providing health care, including the units supported by our teams. During the first days of the conflict, MSF staff working at El Geneina University Hospital managed to supply the remaining medicines to several communities. However, with the progressive deterioration of the conflict, the hospital's infrastructure was subjected to attacks that caused it to become inactive. Our teams have not been able to access the hospital or carry out mobile clinic activities in the nomadic communities of Galala, Mogshasha, Wadi Rati and Gelchek. We have been able to continue to provide services at the hospital in Kreinik, but supplies are becoming scarce.

A few days ago, Moussa Ibrahim, MSF's logistics supervisor in El Geneina since July 2021, managed to reach Adré (Chad) to monitor activities with MSF teams and assess how logistical support could be provided to West Darfur. It was a short visit. He explained that he did not want to be absent from El Geneina for much longer and that he also had to return to his family. This is what he told me one of the days he spent in Chad: "My visit to Chad was necessary because of the interruption of communications that we have suffered due to the cuts of the internet and other means of communication. In addition, I wanted to coordinate closely with MSF teams based in Adré, who have been waiting and ready to intervene and support local initiatives as much as possible.

The journey from El Geneina to Chad is dangerous, as armed groups often patrol and may ask you to stop in the middle of the road. There is no guarantee of safety. The consequences of the escalation of the conflict are devastating, with attacks on humanitarian organizations, police headquarters from which weapons were stolen, and civilian sites such as the local market and the main university.

In these terrible circumstances, the hospital we support was also looted. They took away all the medical equipment and destroyed part of the hospital.

For me, who work in humanitarian logistics, it is heartbreaking to see how the efforts we have made over the years fall on deaf ears. During this time, we have provided health care to all communities in Western Darfur, who otherwise would not have had access to health care because of frequent altercations.

Currently, mobility in the city is limited to the surroundings of one's own home, due to the risk of random shootings, snipers and vehicle theft. Access to basic necessities, such as water, is dangerous, and the task of retrieving the bodies of the deceased from the streets has become impossible. During the first days of the fighting, the Red Crescent was able to retrieve bodies from the streets. However, as the situation worsened, it was impossible to continue doing so, so not all bodies have been recovered. Five days ago, it was finally accessible, but at that time the decomposition was such that they could not be moved. Right now, the only thing that can be done is to bring all the bodies to one place.

The situation is unsustainable and there is an urgent need for intervention. Negotiations between community leaders and all parties to the conflict must be ensured to put an end to this horrific situation. Most of the NGOs have left, but they have done so in order to facilitate the humanitarian operations they have managed to remain in different parts of Sudan, including our teams, which are committed to providing much-needed health care to the population, so it is absolutely imperative from a humanitarian point of view to safeguard the lives of the civilian population and ensure the safety of medical and health personnel. sanitary facilities.

However, the situation remains dire and urgent action is needed to ensure the safety of the population and health workers in El Geneina."

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