Sudan: MSF Resumes Work in Gezira State

Sudan Events /Follow-ups

Médecins Sans Frontières International (MSF) Doctors without Borders)) has said it is returning to work in the city of Wad Madani,Gezira State, central Sudan, after extensive contacts with the Sudanese government and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The international organization reported in a statement puboishyed on its account “X” platform , Saturday, “After making the difficult decision to suspend its activities and evacuate the remaining team in Wad Medani two weeks ago, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) engaged in contact with the government of Sudan and the (RSF) in order to ensure the access of its staff and maintain the neutrality of its humanitarian mission.”
MSF added: “As a result of those contacts;l, the Organization team returned to Wad Madani (Saturday”.
It continued, “Before suspending our activities and evacuating the team from the city, the need for medical care was enorm, and we believe that ensuring the security and safety of our medical mission and health facilities will allow us to provide the necessary assistance to those who have been severely affected by the ongoing fighting for more than 8 months.”
On December 29, MSF in Sudan announced the suspension of all its medical activities in Wad Medani, Gezira State, and the evacuation of its staffafter its compound in the city was subjected to an armed attack.
The conflict expanded in Sudan with the RSF announcing on December 18 that it had taken control of the city of Wad Medani, the capital of Gezira, after battles with the army that lasted about 4 days. On the 19 of the same month, the army announced the withdrawal of its forces from the city.
Gezira, the state bordering Khartoum from the south, has a high density population, and was a destination for those displaced from the fighting in Khartoum.
As the battles move to Gezira, the latter joins 9 states that have witnessed ongoing clashes since mid-April, including the capital, Khartoum, and the states of Darfur and Kordofan, out of 18 states.
Since mid-April, the Sudanese army, led by the President of the Sovereign Council, Abdul Fattah Al-Burhan, and the RSF, led by Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo “Hemedti,” have been waging a war that has left more than 12,000 dead and more than 6 million displaced and refugees, according to the United Nations.