In the days after war broke out in Khartoum, Dr Abeed Abdullah rushed between rooms in Sudan’s largest orphanage in an attempt to care for the many hundreds of infants and toddlers there. Many of the employees could not come to work because of the violent acts of war. At least 50 children have lost their lives in the six weeks since the war broke out in mid-April. On Friday 26 May, 13 children died, according to the doctor. There have also been new deaths during the Whitsun weekend. Casualty of war: The body of a deceased infant wrapped in white cloth. Heba Abdullah/Handout via Reuters Photo: Reuters Malnutrition and dehydration The newborns are on the top floor of the state-run orphanage, called Mygoma. Without enough people to take care of them, many have succumbed to malnutrition and dehydration, the doctor told the Reuters news agency. At the medical clinic on the first floor, someone died as a result of a high fever. They needed food every three hours. There was no one there, says Abdullah. – We tried to give intravenous treatment, but mostly we couldn’t save them, she says. A photo from inside the orphanage, Photo: Doctor Abdallah Kenany/Reuters Photo: Reuters Every day between two, three, four or more children die, according to Abdullah. The figures are confirmed by official sources, according to Reuters. The news agency has spoken to eight other people who are connected to the orphanage. Everyone confirms that the conditions at the orphanage have steadily worsened and that the death toll is increasing. There is ongoing, according to Abdullah, a discussion about evacuating the children out of the capital. Mohammed Abdel Rahman, who is the head of Sudan’s Ministry of Health, says they are investigating what has happened at the orphanage. It is still dangerous in the area. Last week there were several air and artillery attacks against the area where the orphanage is located. Several of the children have had to move around the orphanage because of explosions nearby, says Heba Abdullah, who works at the orphanage. Invisible victims The dead orphanage children are among the war’s invisible victims of the war in Africa’s third largest country. Over 700 people have been killed and at least 1.3 million have been displaced to neighboring countries or other areas in Sudan, according to the UN. The death toll is likely to be even higher. The orphanage, Mygoma, was established in 1961 and normally receives hundreds of children each year, according to Doctors Without Borders. Having children out of wedlock is often stigmatized in the predominantly Muslim country. Even before the war, there were major problems at the orphanage. Representatives from the army and the rebel group RSF have not responded to Reuters’ request.
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Many infants died in orphanages in war-torn Sudan – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
