Dozens of health clinics in Sudan closing due to global aid funding cuts

Sudan's healthcare system faces collapse as global aid cuts force the closure of dozens of clinics, including 36 sites run by the International Rescue Committee. Triggered by the 2025 closure of USAID and reduced European donor spending, these cuts strip away medical access for over 400,000 people. The crisis worsens a dire humanitarian situation caused by the civil war, which has displaced 13 million people and triggered severe outbreaks of measles, cholera, and malaria.

Sudan health facility closures

• ▪An additional 36 health facilities serving more than 400,000 people in Sudan are closing in 2026 due to global aid funding cuts
• ▪By September 2024, the World Health Organization reported that up to 70% to 80% of health facilities in Sudan's worst-hit conflict areas were closed or barely functioning

Global aid funding cuts

• ▪The United States closed USAID, its body for delivering foreign aid, in 2025, leading to the expiration of existing grants to many USAID-funded organizations in June 2026
• ▪According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, international aid fell globally by 21.3% in 2025 compared to the previous year

Sudan civil war humanitarian crisis

• ▪In 2025, Sudan recorded 1,620 deaths in attacks on medical facilities, accounting for 82% of all global deaths from attacks on healthcare worldwide
• ▪The civil war that erupted in April 2023 between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces has killed at least 59,000 people and displaced approximately 13 million
• ▪According to the United Nations, more than 19.5 million people in Sudan are experiencing crisis levels of food insecurity, with over five million facing emergency hunger levels

Patient treatment access barriers

• ▪Ali Almohammed, MSF emergency health manager, reported that measles has reached a major outbreak level in Darfur, with approximately 75% of patients being unvaccinated
• ▪Funding cuts and clinic closures are forcing Sudanese patients to undertake long, costly, and dangerous journeys to access remaining medical treatment facilities

MSF emergency response capacity

• ▪Between January and April 2026, Médecins Sans Frontières saw a 22.5% jump in patient admissions in central Darfur facilities compared to the same period in 2025
• ▪In the Um Rakuba camp in Gedaref State, the number of active aid agencies dropped from 35 in 2021 to fewer than 10 by September 2026

IRC service withdrawal impact

• ▪International Rescue Committee director for East Sudan, Mohammed Mahdi, stated that bridge funding to keep a small number of facilities running is only expected to last through September 2026
• ▪Funding cuts are forcing the closure of 36 International Rescue Committee-supported facilities and sites, cutting off essential services for an estimated 473,700 people