The World Health Organisation (WHO) says rival forces in Sudan had occupied the national public laboratory holding measles and cholera pathogens and other hazardous materials.
“Fighters kicked out all the technicians from the lab…which is completely under the control of one of the fighting parties as a military base,” Nima Saeed Abid, WHO’s representative in Sudan said on Tuesday.
Mr Abid noted that the development is an “extremely, extremely dangerous” situation, even though he did not state which of the rival group had taken over the laboratory.
He explained that he had received a call from the head of the national laboratory in Khartoum – a day before a U.S.-brokered 72-hour cease-fire between Sudan’s warring generals.
“There is a huge biological risk associated with the occupation of the central public health lab,” Mr Abid added.
According to him, the director of the laboratory had also warned of the danger that “depleting stocks of blood bags risk spoiling due to lack of power.”
“In addition to chemical hazards, bio-risk hazards are also very high due to lack of functioning generators,” he further noted.
Meanwhile, the United Nations health agency has also confirmed 14 attacks on health care during the fight.
Last weekend, fighting broke out between the two rival forces, Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan.
The bloody clashes between the two rival forces have been raging in the capital Khartoum, and other strategic areas throughout the country.
WHO has confirmed that the Sudanese Health Ministry has put the number of deaths so far at 459, with a further 4,072 wounded.
