Disease, hunger ravage Mayirno as war cripples healthcare

Sudan Media Forum: Joint News Room

By: Al Tagheer Newspaper

January 5, 2025 (MAYIRNO) – A newborn has died from anaemia linked to his mother’s untreated condition, who tragically succumbed to the illness just three days later, according to Sultan Talal, a volunteer in Mayirno of Sennar State, south of Khartoum. The infant’s death underscores the dire health crisis gripping the region.

“This mother leaves behind three daughters, all now suffering from anaemia,” Talal said, adding that hunger, malaria, and cholera are widespread in Mayirno. Deaths among pregnant women, children, and those afflicted with malaria and typhoid are alarmingly common, exacerbated by severe shortages of medicine and the inability of many to afford treatment.

“I have orphaned children aged 13, 12, and 8,” one woman told Al Tagheer newspaper. “Our circumstances are dire; my husband is deceased. We desperately need help; my children are anaemic.”

Mayirno is located 400 km (250 miles) south of Khartoum on the west bank of the Blue Nile. It is about 17 km from Sennar city and 70 km north of Sinjah, the state capital. Its original population is estimated at 62,000, with 20 neighbourhoods. With the return of displaced people, the population has reached approximately 70,000.

Residents and displaced people in Mayirno are facing a severe humanitarian crisis, worsened by the closure of community kitchens, medicine shortages, and a cholera outbreak that has killed more than 300 people.

Mayirno’s only hospital, a rural facility partially upgraded to specialize under the Ministry of Health, is now under the control of the Mayirno Emergency Room due to the ongoing war. The hospital was forced to close after the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) entered Sennar State. It recently reopened thanks to the efforts of the Emergency Room, but the pharmacy only resumed operation in mid-November.

Residents complain about the high cost of medicines and the lack of free treatment. This has forced the Emergency Room to prioritize providing meals for hospital staff and covering operational expenses. With the Ministry of Health neglecting its responsibilities, the Mayirno Emergency Room has established a cholera isolation centre with its own limited resources. Since August, the cholera outbreak has killed more than 300 people in Mayirno, in addition to deaths from malaria, malnutrition, and lack of access to treatment.

“The Ministry of Health has abandoned its responsibilities,” Omer Arabi, a member of the Mayirno Emergency Room, told Al Tagheer. “Cholera patients are treating themselves with their own resources. The cost of one [treatment course] has risen to 7,000 Sudanese pounds.”

He added, “In our area, there have been many deaths among the elderly. In less than a month, most of those aged 60 or older have died, as well as deaths among children.”

Arabi said the Emergency Room is seeking funding sources. He mentioned a fundraising effort supported by expatriates from the region, but their donations were insufficient to run community kitchens and provide treatment. He warned that the southern part of Mayirno has only two sacks of lentil porridge left in the community kitchen to feed five neighbourhoods — an impossible task, as each neighbourhood has three community kitchens.

“Unfortunately, Mayirno has not received any relief convoy since the war erupted in Sennar State,” he said.

Malaria treatment crisis

Mayirno is also battling a malaria outbreak. Access to treatment is difficult due to the high cost of medicines. People contract malaria multiple times due to insufficient doses. The cost of Coartem tablets is 5,000 Sudanese pounds for initial treatment, after which patients require expensive Artesunate injections, unaffordable for most.

Farming disrupted

Several factors have contributed to the closure of community kitchens in Mayirno, including high costs for food, fuel, transportation, and cooking. The price of a sack of lentil porridge, a staple food, has reached over 300,000 Sudanese pounds. The price of wheat has reached 50,000 pounds per kilogram (350,000 pounds per sack), while a sack of maize costs 140,000 pounds.

Over the past two years, most agricultural projects in Sennar have ceased, halting production. Other factors contributing to the failure of the agricultural season include gasoline shortages and forced farmers into manual labour.

Residents and displaced people in Mayirno now rely on community kitchens, which have entirely shut down. The city comprises 20 neighbourhoods, and most residents have been unable to leave since the RSF entered the area. Those who fled to Gedaref have returned, putting further strain on community kitchens.

This report is published simultaneously on the platforms of media institutions and organizations that are members of the Sudan Media Forum.

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