October 15, 2026 Report – Darfur24
Halima Ahmed, then in the final month of her pregnancy, was not merely waiting for an absent doctor or a distant hospital; she was waiting for the floodwaters in a wadi (seasonal watercourse) to recede. She was in the area of Um Dafuq—located approximately 250 kilometers southwest of Nyala, in South Darfur State—and her family was attempting to transport her to the town of Um Dukhun, in Central Darfur State.
After spending two days trying to raise the funds to hire a tuk-tuk (three-wheeled motorized rickshaw), Halima’s condition deteriorated. She began to suffer from severe hemorrhaging, and ultimately, she passed away
According to local sources cited by Darfur24, Halima’s death was not an isolated incident; 12 other pregnant women reportedly died in the Um Dafuq and Rahad al-Bardi localities within the span of just one month.
In other parts of Darfur, pregnant women are forced to travel to hospitals on foot or by riding on animals, while others are carried on wooden stretchers by men from their villages. Between rugged, often impassable roads—especially during the rainy season—and a severe lack of transportation and healthcare services, the journey to seek medical treatment can become a race against death.
These cases highlight a deepening health and humanitarian crisis facing women in the region. The ongoing war, which erupted in April 2023, has led to the deterioration of healthcare services, the closure of numerous medical facilities, and critical shortages of both medical personnel and essential medicines. Furthermore, women living in rural villages and remote settlements face immense challenges in accessing basic healthcare and reproductive health services.
Severed Routes and Absent Services
Maryam Hamed Midoub, a women’s rights activist, told the “Darfur24 Podcast” that the war, displacement, and violence have effectively cut off large swaths of Darfur from essential services. She noted that women in rural areas and villages face significant obstacles in accessing basic necessities.
She added that these difficulties are compounded during the rainy season, when roads become rugged or completely impassable. According to her, reproductive health services have become unavailable in many areas, and even obtaining basic supplies—such as sanitary pads—has become a major challenge.
The crisis is not limited to the difficulty of reaching healthcare facilities; it also extends to the extremely limited range of services available within those facilities that remain operational. Midoub points out that the closure of several hospitals has exacerbated the suffering of women. She notes that Adila Hospital continues to receive patients from surrounding villages, despite a lack of resources and the absence of electricity—conditions that severely limit the ability to perform surgical procedures.
She also highlights a shortage of vaccines for pregnant women and children, noting that a decline in funding—including from the United States—has reduced women’s access to reproductive health services.
Midoub cites an incident in the Baida area of West Darfur—a state neighboring South Darfur—where a woman in labor was forced to wait for the floodwaters of a seasonal stream (wadi) to recede before she could reach a hospital. She explains that attempts to get her to medical care were unsuccessful; the woman passed away before reaching the hospital, after a wait of approximately two hours.
Overcrowded hospitals and limited resources
Midoub describes the situation at Al-Daein Hospital as “deplorable,” especially following its bombardment and subsequent temporary closure. She notes that the facility now serves patients arriving from several localities, despite severe shortages of medical staff and essential medicines.
She explains that the hospital is severely overcrowded, while the services provided remain limited. There is an insufficient number of specialists—particularly in obstetrics and gynecology—alongside a lack of medicines, reproductive health services, and vaccination programs for women and children.
The situation is further complicated by long distances and high transportation costs; many families are unable to afford transport for pregnant women, given the dire economic conditions brought on by the war. Even when a family manages to cover the travel costs, blocked roads may prevent them from reaching the hospital in time.
In the Qulu area of Central Darfur State, Midoub reports that a single hospital serves the local population under extremely difficult conditions—characterized by poor accessibility and a patient load that far exceeds the available resources. She notes that there is only one specialist available to perform cesarean sections.
“Unfortunately, we have regressed to a traditional era, with births taking place using a ‘birthing rope’,” she adds, referring to instances where women are forced to resort to traditional, non-clinical birthing methods because they cannot reach the hospital.
Deaths and the Risks of Food Insecurity
Separately, the South Darfur State Ministry of Health has recorded 47 maternal deaths across eight of the state’s 21 localities. The actual figures are likely higher, given the limited scope of data collection and the difficulty of reaching isolated areas. Midoub states that these figures have “sounded an alarm,” warning of a potential rise in maternal mortality and a deterioration in reproductive health services if the current situation persists.
The risks facing women are inextricably linked to the worsening nutritional and health conditions in the region. According to Midoub, UN warnings regarding food shortages in Darfur—compounded by declining agricultural production and scarce rainfall—point to mounting economic and health pressures on a population that largely relies on agriculture.
She adds that the rainy season brings an increase in the spread of diseases, while large numbers of women face the risk of malnutrition—all in the absence of an adequate health response to address these dangers.
Midoub observes that while humanitarian organizations are providing some assistance, it falls short of covering the full range of services or the actual needs of women, noting that their specific requirements are not always prioritized.
She explains that the provision of food is often prioritized over other essential items for women, such as sanitary products, and calls for the inclusion of women in identifying their own needs and developing appropriate solutions.
Childbirth Outside of Hospitals
In Um Dafuq, a medical worker reports that women in rural areas face difficult living conditions. The absence of health centers and a shortage of midwives force many women in villages and remote settlements to give birth using traditional methods.
She explains that the great distance to hospitals, combined with a lack of transportation, prevents many women from accessing necessary prenatal and delivery care. This increases the risk of maternal or fetal death, as well as other health complications—such as obstetric fistula—exacerbated by the lack of sterilization and proper medical care. It is noted that women in rural areas bear significant domestic and livelihood-related burdens, while the war and deteriorating economic conditions have further intensified the pressures they face.
Medical personnel are calling on government and humanitarian agencies to establish health centers in villages, rural settlements, and local districts, which would help mitigate the risks women encounter during pregnancy and childbirth.
These demands align with accounts from women in Umm Dafuq regarding the difficulty of accessing healthcare—a challenge that becomes particularly acute during the rainy season, when the town is cut off from other areas.
One woman explains that the town is in urgent need of health and humanitarian aid, especially for pregnant women and children, noting that the absence of a hospital and doctors exacerbates the suffering of the local population.
She adds that reaching the nearest hospital can take at least two hours by animal-drawn cart—an arduous journey for a pregnant woman, who may arrive at the facility completely exhausted, with no guarantee that she will actually receive treatment.
She also points to the death of children from malaria, a consequence of the collapse of health services.
Another woman states that women suffer due to the lack of doctors and medical equipment, including diagnostic imaging devices, and that this hardship intensifies during the rainy season. She adds that some women reach the hospital only after complications related to their pregnancy or the fetus have already arisen; in some cases, the delay in arrival—compounded by a lack of transportation—proves fatal.
Mobile Clinics and Long-Term Solutions
In light of these conditions, Medop calls upon international and national humanitarian organizations, United Nations agencies, and government authorities to intervene urgently by maintaining hospitals, providing essential medicines and medical personnel, and establishing mobile clinics to reach villages and areas that lack access to services.
While mobile clinics can serve as a temporary solution to expand healthcare access in villages and neighborhoods, they cannot be effective without the necessary medicines and medical staff to operate them.
Medop emphasizes that the most pressing priority is the provision of medical personnel and medicines, alongside the expansion of mobile clinics to reach local communities and villages.
Furthermore, the organization warns that the current situation could lead to a humanitarian catastrophe. It notes that the recorded death toll does not necessarily reflect the full extent of the crisis—particularly regarding women who are unable to reach hospitals or whose cases go unregistered.
According to Medop, solutions should not be limited to emergency response; rather, they require the development of long-term strategies—such as training midwives and expanding healthcare services in villages and rural areas—to mitigate the risks women face during pregnancy and childbirth