Health teams use pack animals for Darfur measles campaign

April 22, 2026 (JEBEL MARRA) – Doctors Without Borders (MSF) and the Ministry of Health used donkeys and camels to transport teams and supplies for a measles vaccination campaign targeting 56,000 children in Darfur’s Jebel Marra region, the aid group said on Saturday.

Measles has spread across vast areas of Darfur since an initial outbreak in Rokero, North Jebel Marra, in June 2024. Routine immunization programs collapsed after the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) seized control of most of the region.

MSF said in a statement that it collaborated with the health ministry to vaccinate approximately 56,000 children in South Jebel Marra between April 1 and April 6.

The absence of roads in the remote mountainous terrain forced medical teams to travel on donkeys to reach isolated villages, while vaccines were transported via camels to maintain the cold chain.

The Ministry of Health is attempting to prevent a total collapse of childhood immunization networks by partnering with international agencies for sporadic campaigns, despite the region falling outside central government control.

Earlier this year, UNICEF delivered 6.6 million doses of measles and rubella vaccines to the region. Campaigns were launched in North and South Darfur in January, followed by West and Central Darfur in February, with the remaining pockets targeted this month.

Despite these efforts, health officials warn that measles cases continue to rise. The spread is fueled by high malnutrition rates, overcrowding in displacement camps, and a severely degraded healthcare infrastructure.

MSF reported that its teams moved from village to village to ensure no child was missed, noting the campaign reached 97% of its target population in one of Sudan’s most isolated regions.

The aid group explained that routine vaccination services were disrupted by conflict, mass displacement, and limited vaccine supplies, leaving many communities without access to basic healthcare for extended periods.

Jebel Marra, a vast territory spanning Central and South Darfur, remains under the control of the Sudan Liberation Movement led by Abdul Wahid Mohamed Nur.