“It Was Tragic”: Women and Health Workers in Sudan Describe Fleeing El Fasher

NORTH DARFUR STATE, Sudan—“In El Fasher, I couldn’t have any health check-ups because there were no hospitals left near us,” Zainab shared with us. She was pregnant during a brutal siege that lasted 18 months in the capital of Sudan’s North Darfur State.

During the blockade, women and girls were subjected to relentless bombardment and escalating sexual violence while cut off from humanitarian aid. As health facilities came under repeated attack, medicines ran out, pregnant women delivered babies without skilled assistance, and survivors of rape were left without medical care.

The crisis escalated in October 2025, when El Fasher fell to the Rapid Support Forces, a Sudanese paramilitary force engaged in intense fighting with the Sudanese Armed Forces.

“We dug trenches to hide and sheltered inside them,” said Rania, who was also pregnant at the time. “There was shelling every day.”

More than 107,000 people—most of them women and children—escaped El Fasher however they could, often without transportation, food, or money. Rania and Zainab were among thousands who fled to Al Affad, an overcrowded displacement site where healthcare and safety remain elusive.

Along the way, Rania collapsed from exhaustion and witnessed women giving birth by the roadside. “It was heartbreaking and frightening.” When she reached Al Affad camp, she was rushed to a maternity hospital in nearby Al Dabbah and delivered her baby by C-section.

Zainab experienced a similar ordeal upon arrival. “I was waiting to receive a tent, but I gave birth beforehand,” she told UNFPA, the UN sexual and reproductive health agency.

Healthcare in Crisis

Health workers also described the terror of the months-long siege. Midwife Madina was confined with 65 women inside a mosque in El Fasher for nearly a year.

“For many days, we had no food or water. We survived by drinking rainwater and eating plants growing in the courtyard,” she said. “When the mosque was stormed, they took all the men away and forced the women out barefoot. Some of the women were pregnant—one gave birth on the road because we couldn’t reach care in time.”

Ikhlas, a displaced obstetrician, described the conditions under the blockade. “Between my house and the Saudi Maternity Hospital, there were more than 100 bombs a day. I would sleep overnight at the hospital, because if you tried to go back home you could be hit by a bomb. Many of my colleagues were killed that way.”

She and her colleagues resorted to desperate measures. “We worked using cut-up bedsheets and mosquito nets—we did everything we could. We were performing procedures such as amputations outside the operating room.”

Still, their dedication never wavered. “If a market or a neighborhood gets hit, medical staff would have to donate blood because we didn’t have any supplies. Meanwhile, the hospital itself is being hit.”

Displaced but Dedicated

Today, both Madina and Ikhlas are displaced, but they continue working. Both have joined UNFPA medical teams in Al Affad.

Farha encountered Ikhlas after spending a week fleeing El Fasher on foot while pregnant and carrying her young daughter.

“We had no one with us. My children’s father, my father, and my brothers were all killed,” she told UNFPA. “I was exhausted. When I arrived, I was sitting in the heat, under the sun, without supplies or anything to eat. Ikhlas found me and took me to Al Dabbah Maternity Hospital.”

Thanks to Ikhlas, Farha stayed at the hospital for 11 days and gave birth there. “She brought me everything I needed,” Farha said. “She stayed with me throughout, and even after I was discharged she continued to follow up with me until she brought me here to the clinic.”

Sustaining Lifesaving Services

UNFPA continues to work in Northern State by strengthening emergency obstetric care at Al Dabbah Maternity Hospital and operating a reproductive health clinic in Al Affad displacement camp. Mobile midwife teams are also being deployed, alongside training for community midwives and health providers on caring for survivors of rape.

“The doctors displaced from El Fasher face many difficulties,” Ikhlas said. “But we keep working and helping people. We do humanitarian work here.”

While these efforts are saving lives and supporting survivors, without immediate and increased funding and access, women and girls risk losing lifesaving care when they need it most. After 1,000 days of war, nearly two-thirds of the population is in dire need of humanitarian assistance.