From lifelines to deathtraps: How shelter closures amid Sudan’s ongoing war are leaving the most vulnerable in grave danger

In Sudan, a devastating crisis is unfolding as the ongoing war has destroyed at least ten shelters for the elderly, orphans, and vulnerable children, leaving thousands without homes or essential care.

Before the war reached the capital, these shelters had provided a lifeline to more than 900 people under the Ministry of Social Welfare, offering safety and support to some of the most vulnerable in society.

As the war escalated, however, the ministry handed over management of the shelters to several local organisations, which, lacking the necessary experience to care for the most vulnerable — including premature infants — struggled to maintain services.

This quickly led to a series of crises, resulting in the deaths of elderly residents and children, while many others were forced back onto the streets amid worsening humanitarian conditions.

The situation worsened further when the administration became highly securitised. Dozens of experienced volunteers were excluded, and management was transferred to staff linked to security services, leaving the shelters increasingly unprepared to respond to basic needs.

Consequently, the new administration began “drying up” the shelters, refusing to admit new residents, both elderly and children. In effect, thousands who had once depended on the ministry’s care were abandoned.

The collapse of Al-Maigoma

The crisis at Sudan’s shelters, specifically those for abandoned children, has worsened in recent years, with staff at Al-Maigoma in Khartoum warning of increasingly dire conditions.

Founded in 1961 to house abandoned newborns, including children born outside marriage, the shelter once provided essential care for hundreds of vulnerable children.

In June last year, the situation at the shelter took a sharp turn when 370 children under the age of seven were moved from Al-Maigoma to Wad Madani in Gezira state, then to Halfa in Kassala state, and finally to the remote area of Wad Sharifi, where staff reported extremely poor conditions.

Three workers, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of losing their jobs, described the consequences: “Dozens of children have died from disease, malnutrition, and harsh living conditions. Others were placed with foster families, leaving only 30 children with disabilities, whom families were reluctant to take in. These children face multiple hardships. Some mothers tried to abandon them, while others were left on public roads and rescued before dogs could attack them.”

In sharing this, the workers noted that before its closure, Al-Maigoma received two to three children daily, bringing the annual total close to 1,000. The Ministry of Social Welfare provided trained staff to care for them, and after the age of five, children were transferred to alternative government facilities, with housing separated by gender.

However, despite these measures, the shelter — which housed about 87 boys and girls before it closed — ultimately suffered extensive damage.

Speaking anonymously, one of the supervisors said, “Children have lost their chance at education and stability, and we do not know what the future holds for them. Some died during disease outbreaks that swept the country during the war, while others fled and became homeless."

The supervisor added, “Many girls were married off to relieve families of the burden of caring for them. Schools have largely stopped functioning, and those that have reopened operate only symbolically, lacking basic supplies such as notebooks, textbooks, desks, and toilets.”

The government’s decision to halt new admissions has further compounded the problem. In June, Khartoum Governor Ahmed Osman Hamza criticised Al-Maigoma, accusing it of “encouraging childbirth outside marriage,” and told Ministry of Social Welfare staff: “We will not allow Al-Maigoma to return to its former role.”

The governor’s comments drew widespread condemnation from child welfare advocates, who described them as “inappropriate coming from the state’s top official.”

Soha Abdelrazek, a graduate of Al-Maigoma, told The New Arab: “The comments were offensive. I grew up in Al-Maigoma from my first days of life, like thousands of children who are now adults playing active roles in society. Preventing the shelter from admitting children deprives hundreds of essential care and exposes them to serious risks, including human trafficking.”

She added that, historically, abandoned children were first brought to Al-Maigoma by police patrols, who responded to reports from citizens finding them on the streets. Once at the shelter, the medical team would transfer the children to hospitals for treatment and then return them to the facility, where they remained until the age of five. Afterwards, the children were moved to separate homes under the care of female carers, who were paid monthly by the Khartoum state government.

Breakdown in care

Weighing in, Omaima, a former carer with the Ministry of Social Welfare, told The New Arab that children at Al-Maigoma were initially assigned to mothers within the shelter for close care.

“They were then transferred after age six to another home, where they stayed until they turned 18 and were integrated into society. Some children were fostered, but only after strict vetting by the ministry, which required families to meet a series of protocols and conditions before approval,” she explained.

She added that one of the ministry’s key requirements for prospective foster families was demonstrating a genuine desire to care for the child and providing an acceptable justification.

“If the woman seeking to foster was married, her husband’s consent was required; if unmarried, approval from a legal guardian was mandatory. The ministry would then send a committee to visit the family home to assess social and financial conditions, often making multiple visits at different times. Families were later allowed to visit Al-Maigoma, meet the children, and choose the child they wished to foster. After placement, the child remained under ministry supervision, with periodic follow-up visits, and would be removed if any abuse occurred.”

According to Omaima, after Al-Maigoma was relocated outside Khartoum and the state government refused to open a new, supervised facility, the adoption process for abandoned children lost its essential legal safeguards.

This has raised fears of crimes or other illegal acts against children, as family-based fostering is now carried out without the oversight or procedures previously enforced by the authorities.

A volunteer at the Al Nao government hospital in Omdurman, speaking on condition of anonymity, described the current situation: “Once a boy or girl is brought to the hospital, fostering procedures can now be completed easily because the Ministry of Social Welfare has abandoned the file entirely and halted all previous vetting procedures, leaving decisions to police and hospitals.”

The volunteer added: “In some cases, children are transferred to Al-Buluk Children's Hospital and placed in a special ward, but most are handed to families for fostering without home visits or follow-up. Crimes against children cannot be ruled out when families are not vetted or monitored. Fostering is also arranged directly from Al Nao Hospital, and anyone can now take in a child with ease, raising serious questions about some people’s motives.”

This is an edited translation from our Arabic edition, translated by Afrah Almatwari; to read the original, click here.