The city of Dilling in Sudan's South Kordofan state is facing a severe health crisis as medical facilities close and doctors flee [1].
This collapse of the healthcare system leaves thousands of civilians without access to basic medicine or emergency surgery while the city remains a focal point of armed conflict. The lack of medical infrastructure transforms treatable injuries into fatal wounds and manageable illnesses into deadly outbreaks.
The crisis is driven by continued armed conflict, including artillery shelling from the Rapid Support Forces and their allies [3]. Recent attacks have been devastating; five people were killed and 33 others were injured in a single shelling incident in the city [3].
Residents describe a harrowing environment. Khadija Abdel Karim, a resident of Dilling, said, "I could hear their voices as they were burning" [2].
The medical void is compounded by the mass migration of healthcare professionals. Most doctors and medical staff have left the city, leaving only a few remaining cadres to manage the needs of the entire population [1]. Those who remain struggle with a critical shortage of essential medicines [1].
Access to relief is also being restricted. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said there is a looming famine in Dilling because aid convoys are being targeted [4]. These blockades prevent the delivery of both food and the medical supplies necessary to sustain the few remaining clinics [4].
With facilities shuttered and supply lines cut, the remaining medical personnel are unable to provide comprehensive care to the residents of South Kordofan [1].
“"I could hear their voices as they were burning"”
The situation in Dilling illustrates the systemic collapse of civilian infrastructure in Sudan's conflict zones. When medical professionals flee and aid convoys are targeted, the result is a 'dead zone' where the state's inability to protect healthcare workers leads to a total cessation of public health services, increasing the likelihood of mass casualty events from both violence and preventable disease.
