Sudan: WHO Warns of 'High Risk of Biological Hazard' After Lab Seized

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Facts

  • The WHO warned on Tuesday of a "high risk of biological hazard," after one side in the nation's conflict seized a central public laboratory with samples of measles and polio, reportedly creating an "extremely, extremely dangerous" situation. However, it didn't specify which forces had taken control of the lab.1
  • According to the WHO's Nima Saeed Abid, "the main concern" is that there is "no accessibility to the lab technicians to go to the lab and safely contain the biological material and substances available."2
  • Abid also said that fighters "kicked out all the technicians from the lab," with the agency adding that there have been 14 attacks on healthcare facilities or personnel during the fighting, leaving eight healthcare workers dead and two injured.3
  • This comes as the Sudanese military has been fighting the rebel Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitaries since April 15. The conflict has killed at least 459 people, wounded over 4k, and seen shortages and cuts in water, power, and food in a nation already reliant on aid.4
  • Several ceasefires have been declared since the fighting began, but none have been successful. However, intermittent lulls during the weekend's major Muslim holiday have allowed for dramatic evacuations of hundreds of diplomats, aid workers, and other foreigners by air and land.1
  • With hundreds of thousands of Sudanese refugees expected to flee the country, Cyprus has announced that it has activated a rescue mechanism to evacuate third-country nationals from the war-torn nation.2

Sources: 1FOX News, 2DW, 3Medicalxpress, and 4The East African.

Narratives

  • Narrative A, as provided by New York Times. Despite coming as no surprise to close observers, tensions between forces loyal to al-Burhan and Dagalo — former allies now turned foes — have slowly simmered under the oversight of several diplomatic actors that failed to coordinate divergent agents. While the US could indeed have been more diplomatically engaged in Sudan, its main mistake was surrendering leverage because it believed that regional powers would promote democracy in the country without Washington exerting any pressure.
  • Narrative B, as provided by Foreign Policy. While it's undeniable that al-Burhan and Dagalo are primarily responsible for the current fighting, the US may also be blamed for this outbreak of violence as, in 2019, it compelled civilian protesters to form a flawed transitional government with the military, thereby retreating from a long-awaited, decisive democratic push. Washington then continued to trust military leaders to introduce democratic government following a second coup in 2021. Even more harmful was the US-backed Sudanese security sector reform, which created competition between both generals — neither of whom wanted to give up power — which ultimately led to today's lethal conflict.