WATCH | Sudan’s displaced elderly struggle to access basic needs

Elderly Sudanese displaced by the ongoing conflict are struggling to access food, medication and healthcare, with many separated from family members who once cared for them. Aid institutions say the conflict between the government and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has also disrupted their ability to provide essential support.

Among them is 75-year-old Hamad Abdallah, who fled his village in North Kordofan after it came under attack by the RSF.

Now living in displacement, Abdallah says the loss of family support has made it increasingly difficult to meet his basic needs.

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For 71-year-old Fatima Mousa, displacement has also meant losing contact with her family. She fled her hometown in Kordofan with neighbors after an attack in which several young men were killed.

“I still don’t know where my family is. I have been living here for several months, and we urgently need medication and support, as we have no family members to look after us,” she said.

The difficulties facing displaced older people extend beyond access to shelter, with many struggling to obtain regular medication and medical attention.

In Northern Khartoum, the Aldaw Hajooj Home for the elderly is among the institutions working to provide care despite the effects of the conflict.

Its director, Moubark Satti, said the facility had lost its only vehicle, previously used to transport residents to medical facilities, and that some elderly people had died during the conflict because they could not access medical care.

He called for financial assistance from local communities, non-governmental organisations and international humanitarian agencies to help maintain essential services.

Sudan’s Minister of Social Welfare, Siddig Ferini, said authorities had reunited dozens of displaced older people with their families, while others were still searching for relatives.

He urged humanitarian organizations and donors to support older people through social care and essential services amid the ongoing conflict and economic crisis.

As fighting continues, displaced elderly people remain particularly vulnerable, with access to healthcare, food and family support central to their ability to cope with life away from home.