The war in Sudan rages on the border with Chad
The numbers, again, are cold. Seventeen dead. Sixty-six seriously injured. But behind every figure that Doctors Without Borders (MSF) reports from Tina there is a crumbling reality. A hospital that operates without water or electricity, depending on generators and solar panels. Doctors who see their drug reserves depleted with each new patient who arrives.
“Doctors are caring for patients without water or electricity and are relying on generators and solar panels,” said an MSF staff member.
This is not an isolated episode. It is the latest chapter in a war that has already claimed, according to the UN, more than 40,000 lives. And aid groups insist the real number could be much higher.
Tina: the last bastion that refuses to fall
What is at stake in these combats between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (FAR) is strategic. Tina is one of the last areas that the army still holds in the vast region of Darfur, territory that the FAR has controlled since October.
The nearby Tine border crossing is not just a dot on the map. For years, when the main crossing at Adre was closed, it was the only route for humanitarian aid coming in from Chad. Now, that vital door is also under threat.
Chad’s response has been drastic: closing its border with Sudan “until further notice.” It’s the same defensive move he made when this conflict broke out last April. A desperate attempt to contain the fire that has already burned so much.
Meanwhile, the war continues to change its face. If before Khartoum was the center of horror, now Darfur and Kordofan are the epicenters. There, drone attacks have become frequent and deadly, taking a growing toll on civilians and crippling aid operations.
The question that remains is how much more this border can hold, and how much more the people trapped in the middle can take.
