A coalition of human rights organizations, humanitarian groups, and civil society institutions has issued a joint statement and urgent appeal warning of a rapidly worsening health and humanitarian crisis in Sudan’s Darfur region, particularly amid the growing spread of monkeypox, severe malnutrition, and measles outbreaks.
In a statement released on May 18, 2026, from Kampala, Nyala, and New York, the signatories expressed deep concern over what they described as a dangerous escalation of health conditions across Darfur, with particular focus on the Jebel Marrah region in South Darfur State.
According to the statement, authorities affiliated with the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLM/A) led by Abdul Wahid Mohamed Nour recently announced confirmed monkeypox infections in the Dira district of Jebel Marrah. Initial reports indicate that the number of cases has exceeded 250, raising fears of a wider epidemic if urgent interventions are not undertaken.
The statement further highlighted a growing nutritional emergency affecting vulnerable populations. Medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) reportedly identified cases of acute severe malnutrition among children and women in Al-Salam and Kalma internally displaced persons (IDP) camps in South Darfur.
At the same time, measles outbreaks continue spreading across several localities in North and South Darfur states, placing additional pressure on an already collapsed healthcare system.
The coalition noted that the situation has reached a critical stage due to a severe shortage of medicines, vaccines, and medical supplies, alongside the destruction of hospitals and health centers caused by ongoing armed conflict. They also emphasized that humanitarian interventions currently underway remain insufficient compared to the scale of the crisis.
According to field reports cited in the statement, healthcare and emergency response capacities are extremely limited, increasing the risk of a large-scale humanitarian disaster threatening hundreds of thousands of civilians, particularly children, women, elderly people, and displaced populations.
The organizations stated that the ongoing war, obstacles to humanitarian access, and the deterioration of medical infrastructure have created conditions conducive to the spread of infectious diseases and epidemics, leaving civilians exposed to disease and hardship with limited access to protection and healthcare.
The signatories issued several urgent demands, including:
- Declaring Jebel Marrah and surrounding areas in Darfur as an epidemic emergency zone requiring immediate intervention.
- Calling on regional and international humanitarian organizations and the broader international community to urgently treat the Darfur health crisis as an emergency situation.
- Urging authorities in Sudan to establish safe humanitarian corridors to ensure the delivery of medical supplies and humanitarian assistance to affected populations.
The coalition warned that any delay in responding to these outbreaks would further intensify the suffering of hundreds of thousands of civilians in Darfur and stressed that the international community carries a moral and humanitarian responsibility to act immediately.
The statement was endorsed by a wide range of organizations, including the Darfur Victims Advocacy Organization, Alberdi for Peace and Development, the African Organization for Rights and Development, Hope and Refuge Organization for Refugees, Women of Change Organizations, and several other rights, peace-building, and development groups.
The organizations concluded their appeal by stressing that immediate action is essential to prevent the health emergency from developing into a broader humanitarian catastrophe across Darfur.
