Musa Ibrahim stood in his compound in Sudan's White Nile State last year and ruefully sized up his diminishing herd of goats.
A mysterious cattle fever had swept through the herd some weeks ago, catching the 58-year-old pastoralist unawares.
"I lost twenty animals in a short time," Musa tells TRT Afrika. "It wasn't just about losing wealth. It translated into losing our future. Each goat we lost to disease represented a sack of grain we couldn't buy, school fees we couldn't pay, and a safety net gone. When your animals are sick, your whole life becomes sick."
His experience is far from unique. Across Sudan, livestock forms the foundation of survival for millions of people. Now, a nationwide effort is under way to change that pattern of loss.
Protecting herds
The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), in collaboration with the Sudanese government, recently launched a national livestock vaccination campaign to safeguard the livelihoods of more than three million pastoralists and agro-pastoralists like Musa.
The intervention, which runs from October until January 2026, involves vaccinating approximately 9.4 million animals from highly contagious and deadly diseases such as Peste des petits ruminants (PPR), sheep and goat pox, and anthrax.
In Sudan, keeping herds of cattle healthy is crucial to both food security and national exports.
As famine exacerbated by climate change and conflict takes hold in parts of the country, including camps for the displaced in North Darfur, various international agencies have made dire projections.
Around 24.6 million people are estimated to face what experts term "crisis levels of acute food insecurity", which could get worse because of the continuing fratricidal war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.
"This vaccination campaign comes at a critical time, with Sudan staring at worsening food insecurity," said Hongjie Yang, FAO's representative in Sudan.
"Protecting animal health is essential not only to safeguard the livelihoods of pastoralist and agro-pastoralist families, but also to ensure the availability of milk, meat and subsistence income that millions of people need."
Sliver of hope
For people living through the crisis, the vaccination teams bring more than veterinary care. They are a lifeline.
In a village of West Kordofan, Halima Yousif tends two dozen sheep, keeping a wary eye on any sign of disease that might threaten her flock.
As an agro-pastoralist, her animals are the only assets she owns. Without them, her five children would sleep hungry.
"Last season, we lived in fear of the coughing sickness. We saw many neighbours lose everything," Halima tells TRT Afrika, watching a community veterinary health worker scan her flock before giving them protective shots.
"This (vaccination) gives us peace of mind. These animals are our only bank. Knowing they are protected means my children will have milk, and I can sleep at night without worrying about what the morning will bring."
Implementation hurdles
The ongoing campaign, however, faces significant logistical and other challenges.
FAO is using innovative approaches, including cross-border vaccine delivery to conflict-ravaged areas like Darfur and West Kordofan. The route through Chad ensures life-saving vaccines reach the most vulnerable communities, however remote.
The European Union, Switzerland, Sweden and China are among a clutch of international donors supporting the campaign, which for now is as much about saving livelihoods in Sudan as it is about pre-empting veterinary pandemics that could wipe out entire cattle populations.
Musa can't wait to have his herd of goats vaccinated. Ever since he heard of the campaign's launch, his worries have somewhat eased.
"This is the shield we have been praying for," he tells TRT Afrika. "It means we can breathe again. It means we can look forward to tomorrow."
