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An official with the World Health Organization said that militants have taken control of the National Public Health Laboratory in Sudan, creating a "high risk of biological hazard."
"This is the main concern: no accessibility to the lab technicians to go to the lab and safely contain the biological material and substances available," Dr. Nima Saeed Abid, Sudan's representative to the WHO, told reporters in Geneva, Switzerland, via video link.
The laboratory contains multiple biological and chemical agents, including viral samples of measles, cholera, and polio.
Fighting between the Sudanese armed forces and the Rapid Support Forces paramilitaries broke out in mid-April and has resulted in at least 459 deaths and more than 4,000 injuries across the country.
Abid said that those numbers are likely an undercount.
On Monday (April 24) night, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken helped broker a temporary cease-fire between the two sides so they could attempt to negotiate a long-term peace agreement. However, it is unclear if both sides will respect the 72-hour truce as reports of gunfire and explosions continue.