MSF: 1.5 million Sudanese refugees fled to Egypt

Many have remained in the Aswan governorate just across the border, where, for the past year, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has, alongside an Egyptian organization, been managing five mobile clinics to provide basic healthcare and mental healthcare for refugees and others.

“Fleeing war and leaving their homes behind adds a serious toll on people’s mental health,” says Moses Luhanga, MSF health promotion activity manager in Egypt. “We see a lot of patients who suffer from anxiety, depression, or post-traumatic stress disorder due to their pasts. What they went through, whether in Sudan or on their journey here, and the uncertainty of their current lives.”

Aswan is not only the point of arrival for many displaced people; it is also an important transit center where humanitarian needs for protection, lodging, food, and healthcare services are most acute, and access to local hospitals remains extremely difficult.