Vehicles stolen from El Geneina Teaching Hospital in daylight amid corruption concerns

EL GENEINA — Two vehicles belonging to El Geneina Teaching Hospital and the state-run Revolving Drug Fund were stolen in broad daylight, hospital staff and witnesses said, underscoring growing security and corruption concerns in Sudan’s war-ravaged West Darfur state.

Witnesses said one of the vehicles was parked inside the hospital’s emergency compound at the time of the theft, while the second had been used to transport medicines and oxygen supplies critical to hospital operations.

One hospital worker, speaking on condition of anonymity due to security concerns, said the stolen assets were vital to maintaining basic medical services.

“The first vehicle was a donation from UNAMID and was used for transporting medical waste and operational supplies within the hospital,” the staff member told Sudans Post Sunday.

“The second vehicle belonged to the Revolving Drug Fund and was used to transport medicines and oxygen from Khartoum to El Geneina before the war,” the staff member added.

Staff said the loss of the vehicles could severely disrupt medical logistics, particularly as the hospital struggles with shortages of essential supplies.

Hospital employees also said there had been an earlier attempt to fraudulently seize the vehicles, when an individual falsely claimed ownership. Hospital management at the time intervened and successfully proved that the vehicles belonged to the hospital and the Revolving Drug Fund.

“The theft was carried out in broad daylight by individuals known to people at the scene, without fear of accountability,” another hospital employee said. “They replaced the tires on one vehicle and towed the other away in full view of everyone.”

Some staff accused influential actors of orchestrating the theft for personal gain, reflecting broader concerns about corruption and impunity in the management of public and humanitarian resources.

“What happened is not an isolated incident but part of a broader pattern of targeting health sector assets for private benefit,” a medical worker at the hospital said.

Hospital staff urged local civil authorities to intervene and recover the stolen vehicles.

“We call on the civil administration to urgently intervene, recover the vehicles, and hold those responsible accountable,” one worker said. “Failure to act will further undermine already fragile health services.”

The incident follows a previous case in which a hospital official was dismissed after approximately 300 cartons of therapeutic milk and nutritional supplements intended for patients went missing, with no public findings from subsequent investigations.

Sudan’s health system has deteriorated sharply since the outbreak of war in April 2023, with many hospitals forced out of service, supply chains disrupted, and government oversight weakened across large parts of the country.

Darfur, and El Geneina in particular, has been among the worst affected regions due to widespread violence, mass displacement, and the collapse of state institutions. As a result, international humanitarian organizations have become the primary source of medicines and life-saving supplies.

A Sudans Post investigation published in November 2025 found that medicines supplied by international donors to the West Darfur State Ministry of Health had been diverted to the black market, while emergency pharmacies faced severe shortages.

Medical sources said the diversion included malaria, HIV, and tuberculosis treatments, as well as therapeutic nutritional products intended for malnourished patients. Oxygen cylinders designated for hospitals were also reportedly sold to private workshops, while health facilities faced critical shortages.

“The problem is not only the lack of supplies but the diversion of available resources,” a health sector source said. “Patients are suffering while medical assets are misused or stolen.”