The conflict in North Darfur State, western Sudan,
started in 2003. With the country’s limited resources,
the conflict led to difficulties in the delivery
of curative health services. This conflict affected
1.6 million people, 81% of the population
of North Darfur State, with 37% classified as Internally
Displaced Persons (IDPs) (1). Eighty percent
of the people in rural areas and 47% in urban
areas have to live on less than US$1 per day. The
number of outbreaks of disease among the people
is very high (2). Because the capacity of government
in North Darfur State is limited, the NGOs
provide 52.9% of the health budget and nearly
60% of health personnel. In this study, a total 60
interviewees participated; 15 of the participants
were expatriates working for international NGOs
and 45 were health professionals and administrations
working in the health sector. The result
shows that the government has become increasingly
dependent on the services of NGOs, which
provide 70% of curative health services, yet the
government is suspicious of NGO’s motives (3).
More recently, the independence of South Sudan
in July 2011 has led to continuing border issues
and disputes over oil revenue. This has resulted in
the further weakening of the public health system;
thus making the communities even more reliant
on services provided by NGOs.