Women queue for water at the Al Safa camps in Abu Jubayhah, South Kordofan State, where thousands of people displaced by Sudan’s war are living in temporary shelters with limited access to basic services.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimates that 57,880 displaced people are living across 62 locations in Abu Jubayhah, making it the second-largest locality hosting displaced people in South Kordofan after Kadugli. Local authorities estimate the actual number is higher.
The scale of displacement is not immediately apparent in Abu Jubayhah town, but conditions in camps near the town centre show the growing needs of displaced families.
“When you go to the camps, you see the conditions people are living in,” said Ayşe Bilge Öztürk, project coordinator for Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in Abu Jubayhah.
Families live in temporary and semi-permanent shelters, including fabric tents and straw structures covered with plastic. Some tents are as small as 10 square metres, leaving little space for daily life. Women and children make up a large proportion of the displaced population.
“The support available has not kept pace with the number of people who have arrived or the length of time they have been displaced,” Öztürk said.
MSF began its response in Abu Jubayhah in June, initially focusing on providing water to the three Al Safa camps. Water was first delivered by truck while the organisation worked to establish a more sustainable supply.
MSF later drilled a borehole, laid a water network and installed a solar-powered pump. It also repaired latrines and provided cleaning materials. The organisation says it has supplied more than one million litres of water since the operation began.
For displaced families, the new water system has reduced the distance they need to travel to collect water.
Aisha Ahmed, 37, who was initially sheltered in a school after being displaced before moving to Al Safa, said access to water had been one of the family’s most urgent needs.
“Sometimes we would go a whole week without water. Now, after MSF drilled the borehole and extended the network, water is available 24 hours a day,” she said.
“I am happy. Now the water is there whenever we need it.”
Previously, residents had to walk at least three kilometres each day to reach a water source, according to MSF.
But water is only one of the challenges facing displaced families in South Kordofan as Sudan’s conflict continues.
During a visit to Al Safa, an MSF team encountered a child suffering from severe diarrhoea and referred her to Abu Jubayhah hospital for treatment. The organisation later began testing and treating people for malaria in the camps and expanded its medical activities as other health needs emerged.
At a reception centre for newly displaced people in Abu Jubayhah, MSF has established a clinic where teams screen new arrivals for malaria, malnutrition, maternal health needs and other medical conditions, referring those requiring urgent care.
MSF has also provided logistical support to a Ministry of Health vaccination campaign covering measles, rubella, polio and yellow fever, as well as routine vaccinations. Many displaced people living within the host community rely on the same basic services.
At Abu Jubayhah General Hospital, MSF is supporting the emergency department with rehabilitation, equipment, medicines and other essential supplies, while access to specialised care remains limited.
The rainy season is adding to the challenges. Unpaved roads can make it harder for displaced people to move and for humanitarian teams and supplies to reach some areas.
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