MSF warns Sudan health system near collapse after USAID cuts

September 8, 2026 at 08:06 PM2 min

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Médecins Sans Frontières warned that Sudan's health system is on the brink of collapse after global funding cuts forced dozens of healthcare facilities to close. The charity said existing grants to many USAID-funded organizations ran out in June, while European governments also reduced assistance. MSF urged world leaders at the UN General Assembly to act as admissions in central Darfur jumped 22.5% between January and April 2026.

Key Facts

The US closed USAID, its foreign aid delivery body, last year, leaving dozens of organizations in Sudan without alternative funding.
International aid fell globally by 21.3% in 2025 compared to the previous year, according to the OECD.
Between January and April 2026, MSF saw admissions jump by 22.5% in facilities it supports in central Darfur compared to the same period last year.
In May 2026, 45 healthcare centres in central Darfur had stopped receiving funding.
In Gedaref state's Tanedba camp, maternity and surgical wards closed after a humanitarian organization left in June, forcing pregnant women needing surgery to travel three hours to the nearest city.

Funding Collapse

MSF said the US, the largest donor to Sudan, closed USAID last year, leaving dozens of organizations unable to find alternative funding. Existing grants to many USAID-funded organizations ran out in June, while European governments were also reducing international assistance. According to the Paris-based OECD, international aid fell globally by 21.3% in 2025 compared to the previous year. Muhammad Ibrahim, MSF's head of charity in Sudan, said war is driving needs while funding cuts shrink the response.

Strain on Facilities

Between January and April 2026, MSF saw admissions jump by 22.5% in facilities it supports in central Darfur compared to the same time last year. In May alone, 45 healthcare centres in the area had stopped receiving funding, according to MSF. The closure of frontline services is putting other hospitals under severe strain, with medicines disappearing and capacity to function lost. Sebastián Traficante, MSF's emergency co-ordinator in Darfur, said patients often arrive in a much more serious condition after longer and more expensive journeys.

Camp Closures

In Gedaref state's Tanedba camp, which hosts 18,400 displaced people, maternity and surgical wards closed after a humanitarian organization left in June. MSF now runs an emergency room there, but pregnant women who need surgery must travel three hours to the nearest city. In Um Rakuba camp, also in Gedaref, the number of aid agencies working there dropped from 35 in 2021 to fewer than 10. The camp currently hosts around 17,000 people, most of whom are women and children, according to MSF.