A medical team operating in Khartoum, Sudan, has faced extreme challenges treating an influx of casualties amid ongoing conflict. Arriving in the city on a Monday, the team began surgical operations the following day and quickly encountered a relentless flow of wounded patients.

During their first week, the team managed several mass casualty incidents triggered by explosions across the city. One particularly intense day saw 127 injured individuals arriving in a short period, including men, women, and children. Seventeen patients were dead on arrival. The hospital emergency room and both operating theatres were overwhelmed as medical staff worked continuously, performing surgeries until the early hours of the morning.

Medical personnel faced considerable difficulties due to the nature of war injuries. Wounds inflicted by bullets and shrapnel are prone to infection and often require immediate and complex surgical intervention. The team had to triage patients according to injury severity, dedicating one operating theatre to the most complicated cases and another to less severe ones. Their experience was critical in managing the high volume of cases and addressing risks such as haemorrhage, limb loss, and infection in a resource-limited environment.

Treatment for many patients was prolonged, with some requiring multiple surgeries and extended recovery periods that could last weeks or even months. As news spread that the hospital was operational, more patients, notably women and children, sought care in the facility.

The medical team highlighted the psychological and physical toll of working in such a high-pressure setting but emphasized the importance of collaboration and shared purpose in their efforts to save lives. This mission-driven approach helped them navigate one of the most challenging assignments of their careers.