Communication Blackouts Heighten Emergency Risks Amid Sudan's Conflict [4:26]

Communication blackouts across multiple states in Sudan have severely hindered health officials' ability to monitor and report on diseases and health crises during the conflict between the national army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. The outages began earlier this month, with only a few states managing to partially restore services, leaving the majority of Sudan's 18 states in complete blackout. Claire Nicolet, head of Emergency Response at the medical charity Doctors Without Borders, or MSF, says the blackout has made it impossible to coordinate emergency responses. She tells VOA's Nabeel Biajo with severe food shortages and halted vaccination campaigns, there is a looming risk of disease outbreaks and other emergencies that officials are unable to monitor.