Military Intelligence Detains Doctors Union Leader During Disease Fieldwork

Khartoum, August 31, 2026 - Sudanese Military Intelligence detained Dr Attiya Abdallah, the head of the country's main doctors' union, in a case that highlights mounting pressure on medical and humanitarian workers during the war.

Dr Attiya, general secretary of the Preliminary Committee of the Sudan Doctors' Trade Union, was conducting fieldwork linked to an initiative combating visceral leishmaniasis, also known as kala-azar, in Gedaref state. He was later transferred to Khartoum.

Military authorities have not disclosed charges or a reason for his detention. The doctors' union and allied syndicates have launched a campaign demanding his release and have called for international intervention, warning that state security forces are responsible for his safety.

The detention comes amid repeated harassment and arbitrary arrests of medical and humanitarian professionals by both the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces since the war began. The case has national significance because it intersects with public health capacity, humanitarian access, and the operating space for professional syndicates.

For Sudan's risk outlook, pressure on health workers could further weaken disease response in conflict-affected areas and complicate humanitarian operations that are already constrained by insecurity and fragmented authority.