Into ashes War wipes out decades of medical progress

“All that I did over 40 years has turned to ashes before my eyes,” said Prof Ahmed Fahal, of the destruction of his research centre in Sudan’s capital, Khartoum. His once-gleaming laboratory, where a team of expert clinicians worked, is now little more than rubble.

- Menjíbar Reynés

“I built everything from scratch. I knew every corner, every brick. I can’t describe the pain,” he said.

As Sudan enters its third year of war, its infrastructure has been decimated and scientific, educational and research institutions have ground to a halt. According to the Sudanese National Academy of Sciences, more than 100 universities and research centres - among the most reputable in Africa - have been damaged or looted.

Since 1991, Fahal has headed the Mycetoma Research Center (MRC): the only such institution in the world dedicated to the neglected tropical disease. The centre has been reduced to rubble, wiping out decades of vital data.

When the Sudanese army regained control of Khartoum in March, Fahal’s team was able to visit the centre for the first time since the outbreak of war.

“We lost everything: the biobank that contained rare fungus and bacteria; micro-organisms that we collected over 40 years; samples and biopsies that we stored for genetic research.

“We also lost the laboratory equipment, three ultrasound machines and the pharmacy, where we stored all the free medications,” said Fahal.

The only thing to survive were the patients’ files, which had been saved electronically.