U.S. funding freeze forces closure of health centres in East Sudan

March 3, 2025 (PORT SUDAN) – Three health centres serving some 30,000 people in eastern Sudan have closed due to a loss of U.S. funding, aid groups said, highlighting the impact of a freeze on U.S. aid.

The humanitarian group, Alight, said the centres had ceased operations because of the funding shortfall.

President Donald Trump’s three-month freeze on U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) activities has had a significant impact on humanitarian work in Sudan, which is grappling with a widespread hunger crisis stemming from a conflict now in its 22nd month.

In a report seen by Sudan Tribune last week, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Health Cluster said the U.S. funding freeze had affected 335 health facilities in Sudan, including 57 in Darfur.

Aid partners in Kassala State, eastern Sudan, said the centres had been providing essential primary healthcare to people who had difficulty accessing services.

Many national and international NGOs delivering life-saving aid across Sudan are heavily reliant on U.S. funding. The United States has, for years, been the largest donor to humanitarian operations in Sudan.

Alight and its partners voiced concern about the potential negative consequences of the funding halt on millions of women, children, and other vulnerable groups in Sudan.

Separately, UNICEF warned that a worsening cholera outbreak in White Nile State is putting an estimated 300,000 children at risk, especially in the city of Kosti.

Health authorities have reported at least 65 deaths, including 10 children, and more than 2,100 cholera cases since January.

UNICEF said the cholera outbreak followed fighting that damaged the main water treatment plant, disrupting safe water supplies for around 150,000 people in the state.