South Khartoum humanitarian crisis worsens, patients turn to herbal remedies
March 10, 2025 (KHARTOUM) – The humanitarian and security situation has deteriorated sharply in southern Khartoum, activists said on Monday, forcing scores of patients to use herbal remedies as medicines become completely unavailable.
The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) controls many areas in the southern belt, including the Mayo, Al-Inqaz, Al-Azhari, and Al-Salama neighbourhoods. The RSF faces accusations of widespread human rights abuses against civilians in these areas.
The reported increase in abuses, including looting and killings, comes as the Sudanese army makes significant advances in other parts of the capital, Khartoum.
The South Belt Emergency Room said in a statement obtained by Sudan Tribune that the area faced a “deteriorating humanitarian situation that is worsening day by day.” Residents are suffering from “a suffocating health crisis, a dangerous lack of security, and a deterioration in livelihoods, requiring urgent intervention to save lives and alleviate suffering.”
Healthcare provision has collapsed, the statement said, after the only hospital was forced out of service and most clinics closed due to looting and vandalism. This has deprived thousands of patients of essential treatment.
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) previously announced it had suspended activities at Bashair Hospital, the only functioning medical facility in the southern belt, citing increasing violations by armed groups within the hospital that endangered patients and staff.
The Emergency Room statement highlighted a severe shortage of essential medicines, including insulin and blood pressure medication. This shortage has put the lives of people with chronic illnesses at “real risk,” forcing some to turn to traditional herbal remedies.
The statement also reported a thriving black market for pharmaceuticals, with exorbitant prices making treatment unaffordable for many.
On the security front, the statement described ongoing lawlessness, including frequent looting, arbitrary arrests, and forced displacement of families at gunpoint, further worsening living conditions.