In this episode of the DevelopmentAid Dialogues podcast, host Hisham Allam speaks with Stephen Cornish, General Director of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) Switzerland, about the mounting global humanitarian crises—from famine zones in Sudan to the collapse of water systems in Chad—and the devastating impact of frozen aid funding.
Cornish, who has spent decades leading humanitarian operations in some of the world’s most volatile regions, did not mince words.
“In Sudan we have the world’s greatest humanitarian crisis,” he said. “And it’s also probably one of the most underreported.”
Download the transcript of this episode.
Cornish detailed the grim situation across the region.
“One-third of the population has been displaced—many, several times. According to WHO, 70% of health facilities in conflict areas are non-functional or destroyed,” he noted. “In Chad, over 700,000 people fled Darfur. Many were executed or faced sexual violence. They’re now just one epidemic away from a malnutrition and sanitation disaster.”
The consequences are measurable and deadly. MSF screening in North Darfur revealed that “35.5% of children were acutely malnourished,” Cornish confirmed.
“These are not just emergency stats. They signal total system failure.”
But as needs skyrocket, donor funding is plummeting. Major cuts from USAID and European governments have left frontline organizations scrambling.
“We are living through a moment of record need, and yet the humanitarian system is under shock,” Cornish warned. “One organisation had half its programming for Darfur cut from one day to the next.”
This funding retreat forces impossible choices.
“We have to make global triage decisions,” Cornish explained. “Sometimes we won’t build a hospital to redirect funds to life-saving work elsewhere. That means some people will go without assistance so others can survive.”
Cornish also addressed the politicization of aid, particularly in conflict zones.
“We are not neutral in the face of suffering,” he stressed. “If parties to a conflict are violating international humanitarian law—attacking civilians, blocking aid—we will speak out.”
He recalled the 2013 chemical attack in Ghouta, Syria, when MSF-supported clinics treated over 6,000 patients within hours.
“One of our volunteers died giving mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. We had to speak out. The world needed to know,” Cornish said.
Asked whether neutrality can survive the era of weaponized narratives and social media, Cornish was reflective.
“To be seen to take sides is very dangerous for access,” he said. “But we will not be silent in the face of atrocities. That would make a mockery of humanitarianism.”
Still, hope persists.
“Recently in South Sudan, Ethiopian refugees cared for Sudanese displaced by war,” Cornish shared. “That’s the essence of humanity. People forced to flee one war are now showing up for others.”
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