When Conflict Meets Chronic Illness

A dangerous journey, a chronic illness, and a collapsing health system. For Asma*, her future in Sudan’s crisis was uncertain.

When fighting erupted in her neighbourhood in Khartoum, Asma knew she had to leave immediately. She had moved to the capital before the conflict started in April 2023, hoping for stability and a better future. Instead, she found herself fleeing for her life.

“We heard the fighting was getting closer. Many people were killed,” she says. Together with relatives and neighbours, she joined a convoy of 48 cars trying to escape the violence. The journey was extremely difficult. Roads were unsafe, attacks continued in nearby areas, and their car broke down multiple times. Each time, they had to push it to safety.

Once they reached the town of Shendi, the sense of loss grew heavier. News arrived that their home in Khartoum had been looted and stripped of everything.  

“Right now, we have no money,” Asma says quietly. “We lost everything.”

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Living with diabetes in the middle of a conflict

For Asma, the crisis has made an already difficult health condition dangerous. She lives with diabetes, a chronic illness that requires daily medication, regular monitoring, and consistent medical care. In a stable country with a strong health system, diabetes can be managed. In Sudan, where fighting has destroyed infrastructure and displaced millions, the situation is very different.

The scale of diabetes in Sudan is intense. According to the International Diabetes Federation, about 19 percent of adults aged 20–79 live with diabetes — roughly 3.9 million people. This prevalence is far above that seen in many high-income countries with strong health systems. For example, in France the prevalence among adults is around 8.6 percent, less than half the rate in Sudan.  Several factors contribute to the high prevalence of diabetes in Sudan. Widespread poverty and food insecurity have pushed many households towards cheap, calorie-dense diets high in refined carbohydrates and low in nutritional diversity. Opportunities for prevention, early screening, and management are limited, meaning many people live with undiagnosed diabetes for years. Prolonged stress linked to conflict, displacement, and economic instability further increases the risk of developing the disease.

Once diagnosed, diabetes is far more dangerous in Sudan. Long-term conflict has weakened the health system, leaving many areas without functioning diabetes services or trained staff. Medicines and blood-glucose monitoring supplies are often unavailable or unaffordable. Displacement disrupts continuity of care, cutting people off from regular treatment and follow-up.

For a displaced woman with no income, the danger is immediate. Missing doses even for a short period can lead to severe complications. These include infections, kidney damage, and dangerously high blood sugar that can lead to coma. The conflict did not only destroy Asma’s home. It also put her long-term health at risk.

A new illness and no way to pay for treatment

Soon after returning to Khartoum, Asma developed diarrhoea, vomiting, and fever. These symptoms are common in areas where water and sanitation systems have been damaged, and they can also signal dengue fever, which has been spreading in several parts of Sudan.

“I was worried,” she says. “I came to the clinic because my neighbours told me the services were free.”

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How support made treatment possible

At one of the Medair-supported clinics, funded by the European Union, Asma was finally able to receive the care she urgently needed. Health staff tested her for dengue and treated her symptoms. Most importantly, they provided the diabetes medication she could not afford. Without this support, her condition could have deteriorated rapidly.

“The services here are free and very helpful,” Asma says. “I am really grateful.”

Free access to healthcare services is essential in Khartoum, where the health system has been heavily damaged by the conflict. Many clinics have been destroyed, medical staff have been displaced, and supplies of life-saving medication have run critically low. The EU support allows Medair to keep facilities operational and stocked during one of Sudan’s most challenging periods.

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Why this support matters for millions of people

Globally, 589 million adults live with diabetes. More than 80 percent of them live in low and middle income countries. In countries affected by conflict, chronic diseases become emergencies. In Sudan, the combination of displacement, poverty, and collapsed services puts millions at risk of preventable complications.

Your contribution to Medair’s response is not simply supporting health care. It is preventing suffering. It strengthens the ability of families to survive crisis. It allows people like Asma to receive the medication they rely on to stay alive. It gives communities hope when their health system can no longer meet their needs.

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A step toward recovery

Today, Asma is stabilising again. She has treatment for her immediate illness, and she has regained access to the diabetes medication she depends on.

“I am grateful for this place,” she says. “Without it, I do not know what I would have done.”

Her story reflects the reality faced by millions in Sudan. For people living with chronic illnesses such as diabetes, access to free and reliable medical care is life-saving. Medair is helping families withstand one of Sudan’s deepest crises and giving people like Asma the chance to heal and rebuild.

*Name has been changed for security reasons.

This content was produced with resources gathered by Medair field and headquarters staff. The views expressed herein are those solely of Medair and should not be taken, in any way, to reflect the official opinion of any other organisation.  

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