Sudan: Officials from the United Nations have stated that one of the parties involved in the conflict in Sudan has taken control of a national health laboratory located in Khartoum and called it an “extremely dangerous” development.

The announcement comes at a time when officials cautioned that even with the ceasefire between rival factions, more refugees may flee Sudan. The fighting has created chaos in the country, further pushing Sudan, which already heavily relies on aid, to the brink of collapse. Before the fighting began, the UN estimated that about 16 million people, which is one-third of Sudan’s population, required assistance. This figure is expected to rise.

The World Health Organisation’s (WHO) representative in Sudan, Dr. Nima Saeed Abid, expressed concerns that one of the parties involved in the conflict had taken over the central public health laboratory in Khartoum, removing all technicians.

“That is extremely, extremely dangerous because we have polio isolates in the lab. We have measles isolates in the lab. We have cholera isolates in the lab. There is a huge biological risk associated with the occupation of the central public health lab in Khartoum by one of the fighting parties,” Dr. Abid remarked.

According to WHO, the expulsion of technicians and power cuts in Khartoum mean that it is not possible to properly manage the biological materials that are stored in the lab for medical purposes. The UN agency warned that if the violence does not end, the healthcare system in Sudan could collapse.

The laboratory is located in central Khartoum, near areas where fighting has occurred. The fighting has been between Sudan’s military and the Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary group that grew out of the government-backed Popular Defence Forces, which rebels refer to as “Janjaweed” and which were involved in atrocities during the Darfur conflict.

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