KHARTOUM, June 3 (Xinhua) -- A total of 20 tons of life-saving medicines have been air-dropped in El Fasher, the capital city of North Darfur State, amid escalating clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Sudan's Health Ministry announced Monday.
The shipment was delivered as part of the ministry's efforts to provide basic health services nationwide, Minister of Health Haitham Mohamed Ibrahim said in a statement.
He said the shipment, received by local health authorities, includes intravenous solutions, life-saving and anesthesia medications, and medical consumables, including surgical sutures, gauze, cannulas, antibiotics and syringes of different sizes.
He added that there were arrangements to deliver a further 30 tons of medicines and medical consumables, including medicines for malaria, tuberculosis, and HIV inflections as well as consumables for dialysis and kidney transplantation to North Darfur state.
Meanwhile, Sheikh Al-Din Abdul-Baqi, executive director of Sudan's National Medical Supplies Fund, confirmed in a statement that the airdrop in El Fasher was a success "without any significant losses."
Since May 10, fierce clashes have been raging in El Fasher, the latest escalation of the larger conflict between the SAF and the RSF across the country since April 15, 2023.
The deadly clashes have so far claimed 15,550 lives and displaced over 8.8 million people nationwide, according to recent estimates by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. ■