Nyala, October 2 (Darfur24)
Residents of Nyala, the capital of South Darfur State, have complained about the failure of health authorities to distribute mosquito nets, despite being surveyed and registered in early August. Many say the nets are now appearing for sale in local markets.
The mosquito net distribution campaign, supported by UNICEF and supervised by the State Ministry of Health, aimed to cover several localities across South Darfur.
Saleh Abdel Qader, a resident of northern Nyala, told Darfur24 that health teams visited their neighborhood a month ago to register households and set a distribution date and location.
“When we went to collect the nets on the scheduled day, we found nothing. Later, we saw the nets with specific groups in the area,” he said.
Residents of southern neighborhoods, including Al-Wahda and Andalusia, reported that they have yet to receive mosquito nets despite being counted weeks ago. Some said they returned to the distribution points several times without success.
A member of Nyala’s civil committees, who requested anonymity, told Darfur24 that some individuals obtained nets and sold them in markets for 5,000 to 7,000 Sudanese pounds each.
A trader in Nyala’s main market confirmed that mosquito nets arrived last August but were quickly withdrawn and taken to traditional gold mining sites in the Songo area, and sold for up to 12,000 pounds per net.