Residents in rural Sudan report that the ongoing war in Iran has worsened an already critical shortage of medicines. Abbas Awad, a 61-year-old from Qoz Nafisa village in Khartoum state, said he has been rationing his glaucoma medication due to soaring prices and empty pharmacy shelves.
The conflict in the Middle East has disrupted global shipping routes, particularly through the Strait of Hormuz, where a standoff between the US and Iran has effectively halted traffic. Aid groups say transport costs have risen by up to 20%, with fuel and insurance rates climbing, further delaying essential supplies.
The International Rescue Committee (IRC), which supports a local clinic in Qoz Nafisa, revealed that approximately $130,000 worth of pharmaceuticals destined for Sudan was stranded in Dubai for weeks. The shipment, originally meant to be flown from the UAE to Port Sudan, had to be rerouted by road to Oman and then flown in.
Dr. Amira Sidig, medical director of the clinic, said the last IRC delivery arrived in December, with expected shipments in February and April failing to materialise. The Sudanese health ministry provides only half of the required supplies, leaving the clinic frequently out of stock, including a recent lack of malaria treatment for 50% of patients.
Ahmed Ibrahim, a clinic worker, noted growing frustration among patients. “When people come to the window, they say, ‘Why are you here and there is no medicine?’” Madiha Raza, IRC associate director for global public affairs, warned that any delay in delivering food, medicine, or fuel has devastating consequences for Sudan, which faces the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
