Why Sudan’s Maternal and Newborn Mortality Rates Demand Urgent Global Action?
The maternal and newborn mortality rates of Sudan have been increasing at a tremendous pace with the country in year three of war between the Sudanese armed forces and the Rapid Support Forces. Since April 2023 violence has broken institutions and destroyed health systems with pregnant women and infants in unprecedented danger. The current official estimates have shown maternal mortality at 295 deaths per 100,000 live births which is way above the global average of 223 which was reported in 2020. The mortality rate, under-five, has also increased to 51 per 1,000 live births and the disparity between Sudanese and global health performance has continued to increase.
The increase in deaths may be directly linked to the destruction of health care centers, relocation of the medical personnel, and disruption of supply channels. Shelling and occupation have hit the maternity wards of cities, including Khartoum and El Fasher. The World Health Organization has confirmed that there have been more than 100 attacks on health facilities since the war broke out such as the attack on the Saudi Maternity Hospital in El Fasher when patients and medical staff members were murdered. WHO experts caution that any systematic attack on health facilities is dangerous because it will transform the complications that could be avoided to death.
Families now have to travel long distances via unsafe routes to get to operational clinics to find themselves a congested clinic with no staff to attend to them, a pharmacy such as that with no stock, or a clinic without the necessary equipment. Childbirth is no longer a caring process but a war as many women have turned out to be a life threatening experience.
Health System Collapse And Service Gaps
The healthcare system in Sudan was weak prior to the war and has almost collapsed. Hospitals are struggling with staff shortages, lack of trained staff, shortage of surgical supplies, blood and other necessities. The situation in Kosti Maternity Hospital in the White Nile State shows the extent of the strain: wards are overcrowded with displaced families, power outages disrupt the workflow, and clinical staff do not have anaesthetic machines and incubators. The examples of midwives like Fatma Aldoma, who state that they personally paid some money to poor mothers, point to the situation when the humanitarian necessity outgrows the capacity at any level.
Displacement And Maternal Vulnerability
Sudan displaced more than 14 million people including millions of women who do not have access to reproductive care. It is rare that makeshift camps offer prenatal services, emergency obstetric services or support to a woman after childbirth. This is leading to the increase of maternal injuries, miscarriages and death due to infections. In South Darfur, doctors Without Borders documented 114 maternal mortalities in less than eight months of 2024, around an alarming rate compared to past years. Fatal delays in access to care proved as most women died within 24 hours of care delivery.
Neonatal Risks And Critical Equipment Shortages
There is also compromised newborn care. The incubators and oxygen machines are affected by power outages, and premature births are life-threatening. In the absence of neonatal antibiotics, therapeutic feeding, or favorable conditions of delivery, babies run the risk of serious complications of sepsis, hypothermia, and respiratory distress. Lack of special staff also diminishes the chances of survival especially in the rural areas where only the midwifery services are still in operation.
Underlying Factors Driving High Mortality
There is an acute food insecurity which has increased vulnerability. Children below five years experience severe malnutrition affecting hundreds of thousands of them and stressed immunity, making children vulnerable during birth and their initial years. Pregnant women with malnutrition are the causes of low-weight babies and harmful complications like bleeding and anemia. Emergency-level hunger is reported on an international basis in camps, which leads to a humanitarian crisis that directly contributes to mortality rates.
Psychological Trauma And Stress-Induced Complications
Long-term violence, sexual abuse, and insecurity are the factors which lead to high levels of stress among pregnant women, high prevalence of preterm birth and high blood pressure. There is a lack of mental health services and this means that trauma is not addressed thus worsening medical problems. Women who have displaced or been assaulted or lost family members do not receive emotional or clinical assistance during childbirth.
Blocked Humanitarian Access And Targeted Violence
Assaults, arrests and looting hindering aid delivery are reported by humanitarian organizations. Healthcare professionals are kidnapped and murdered, this lowers the number of workers and psychological torture on sending them to areas of great necessity. Aid convoys are met by armed check points which limit aid like surgical kits, antibiotics and hygiene supplies. Insecurity, health breakdown, and humanitarian hindrance continue to increase mortality.
Efforts And Funding Shortfalls
UNFPA, WHO, MSF and Save the Children have minimal maternal health services despite the extreme danger. The UNFPA has a funding request of 2025 of 145.7 million dollars to pay safe deliveries and emergency surgery and reproductive supplies to displaced populations. Nevertheless, third of the needed funds is already raised and millions of people remain unattended to. The introduction of solar power facilities in maternity hospitals has brought about energy stability in selected hospitals, but the rest of the infrastructure is still run down.
Workforce And Infrastructure Gaps
It is essential to rebuild human capital. Violence or resources required to work safely have been reasons why many health workers have fled. The basic service coverage is to be restored with training, protective gear, and safe mobility ways. Humanitarian leaders underscore the fact that sustainable solutions are achieved by co-investing in midwifery education, emergency transport systems, and digital health logistics to monitor supplies and clinical demands.
Aid Coordination And Security Guarantees
The provision of the humanitarian requires political agreements, which ensure access. Talks with armed groups to institute medical protection areas and safe passage corridors are also still going on, albeit haphazardly. Organized regional diplomacy especially by African Union and GCC allies will decide whether the humanitarian actors are able to scale up assistance in 2025.
Shaping A Response For Future Resilience
Rates of maternal and newborn mortality in Sudan indicate that there is a crisis that needs short-term solutions as well as structural restoration. Short-term needs are met by emergency medical missions, mobile clinics, and airlifted supplies, but the long-run is decided by the reconstruction of hospitals, training health service workers, and water/sanitation systems. An integrated relief-and-recovery system removes dependency loops and safeguards the future generations.
Gender-Focused Support And Protection Measures
In response, addressing the issue of gender-based violence, implementing safe maternity corridors, and access to contraceptives and psychosocial support are crucial pillars of response. Health experts emphasize that it is not only the medical care that helps women survive, but the legal safeguard and community interventions, which enable women and minimize their exposure to conflict-related damages.
Governance, Aid Diplomacy, And Conflict Resolution
Conflict resolution and governance reform are the key elements of humanitarian advancement. The medical rebuilding activities are disrupted continuously without good administrative coordination and security assurances. In Sudan, war has disintegrated with several armed groups controlling the land. Good maternal health policies should be coupled with political activity and humanitarian interventions so that medical access is not contingent on the changing front line.
The rise in Sudan maternal and newborn mortality rates reveals a crisis measured not only in statistics, but in the lives of mothers and children facing preventable loss. The coming phase will test the ability of global institutions and regional actors to respond with sustained commitment, coordinated planning, and innovative delivery systems. The future of Sudan’s most vulnerable families will depend on whether the world can bridge the gap between urgent intervention and long-term stability in one of the most challenging conflict-driven health emergencies of the decade.
