Medical charity says over 100 wounded patients from Sudan still await surgery in South Sudan

By Benjamin Takpiny

Medicines Sans Frontiers (MSF) said that over 100 wounded patients nursing serious injuries from the intensified war in Sudan still await surgery in South Sudan.

MSF said in a statement issued on Sunday in Juba that it has so far treated about 150 wounded people in partnership with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

“Over 5,000 people have crossed into South Sudan each day since the beginning of December, as the fighting escalates near the border in Sudan’s White Nile, Blue Nile and Sennar states. The influx of people into Renk town and surrounding areas has overwhelmed already scarce resources, leaving displaced people in crisis,” MSF said.

It disclosed that the number of recently displaced people has surpassed 80,000, including hundreds with war wounds in the last few weeks.

“MSF is calling for immediate, coordinated humanitarian and medical support for displaced people to address critical gaps and prevent further suffering,” it said.

Emanuele Montobbio, MSF emergency coordinator in Renk County, Upper Nile State said that a few dozen people have been treated with surgical interventions and tetanus vaccinations in recent weeks, adding that over 100 wounded patients, many with serious injuries still await surgery.

 “There is no place for other tents in the surroundings, while patients and their families keep coming to the hospital. We are working alongside the International Committee of the Red Cross to treat war-wounded patients and manage the growing influx of critical cases and the mass casualty response in pre- and post-operative care wards, but the situation is completely overwhelming and it’s not enough,” Montobbio said.

 Montobbio added that they have added 14 tents around the hospital to make space for the war-wounded patients that are arriving at Renk County hospital.

Roselyn Morales, MSF Deputy Medical Coordinator in South Sudan said that thousands of people are living in dire conditions under the open sky in informal settlements, adding that they are facing critical shortages of food, clean water, shelter and healthcare.

“We urgently call on both South Sudanese authorities and international organizations to rapidly scale up their response in Renk and beyond, ensuring that the essential and lifesaving needs of the affected population are addressed without delay,” Morales said.

She said that two Renk transit centers, designed to accommodate a maximum of 8,000 people,is currently sheltering over 17,000, adding that most returnees and refugees an increasingly crossing through informal routes to the east of Renk.

Many of the returnees and refugees escaping ongoing conflict since April 2023, initially entered South Sudan through initially the official Joda border crossing.

MSF has so far recorded more than 82,000 new arrivals in Joda, Duku Duku, Jerbana, and Shemmedi and Gosfami and Atam transit centers.

“The houses were blazing, and everyone was running in different directions. We have been displaced and now live under a tree. I have no desire to return home. Home is no longer a home, it is filled with bad memories. I used to only hear about air raids, but recently, it became a reality,” said Bashir Ismail, who is from Mosmon in Blue Nile state.

  “I was at the market buying some items when the bombing started. Something hit me in the chest; it was the most painful experience of my life. I was so disoriented that it felt like I had lost my memory. The next thing I knew, I was in Renk County Hospital,” Ismail added.

MSF said it is deploying mobile clinics to provide primary healthcare in informal settlements in Gosfami, Atam, Jerbana and Joda, where displaced people are concentrated.

The charity said that its medical teams conducted over 250 medical consultations in Gosfami and referred severely ill people to Renk County Hospital since December 17, adding that it is launching activities in response to the urgent need for water and sanitation in Atam and Jerbana.

MSF noted that relief items have been delivered to these areas for distribution to 2,500 displaced families.

It however, noted that despite these efforts, the response remains insufficient due to the absence of other humanitarian organizations in these informal settlements, which has left a significant gap in support for the displaced population.

As South Sudan receives a massive influx of tens of thousands of people fleeing the intensified war in Sudan, Medicines Sans Frontiers is scaling up its response to the humanitarian crisis in Renk and surrounding informal settlements along the border.