Death Knell for El-Fasher’s Last Operational Hospital Amidst Ongoing Conflict in Darfur
Sudanese paramilitary forces have launched an assault aimed at dominating a vital urban center in Darfur, effectively closing the last functional hospital in the area, as reported by the humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders (MSF).
For over a year, a fierce conflict has engulfed Sudan, pitting the regular army, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), commanded by his ex-deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo. The situation remains volatile.
El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, stands as the sole state capital not yet seized by the RSF. It serves as a crucial lifeline for humanitarian efforts in a region teetering on the edge of famine.
In a statement released late Sunday on social media platform X, MSF disclosed, “This past Saturday, our team, alongside the ministry of health, halted operations at South Hospital in El-Fasher after RSF troops stormed the facility, opened fire indiscriminately, and made off with medical supplies, including one of our ambulances.”
Since the conflict erupted in April 2023, sporadic skirmishes have occurred in El-Fasher, but a resurgence of fierce fighting commenced on May 10, which U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has termed “an alarming new chapter” in this brutal struggle.
Current estimates from MSF indicate that “at least 192 individuals have lost their lives, with over 1,230 sustaining injuries” during recent waves of violence in the city.
MSF explained that “intensified hostilities” around the hospital prompted an imminent evacuation, revealing that by the time of the RSF’s incursion, “only 10 patients remained alongside a diminished medical staff.”
Fortunately, “most patients and the surviving medical crew managed to escape from the RSF’s onslaught,” MSF reported with relief.
They admitted that “due to the disorder occurring during the attack, our team could not ascertain whether there were additional casualties.” Tragic circumstances unfolded with chaos reigning.
Michel-Olivier Lacharite, the head of emergencies at MSF, voiced his outrage: “It is utterly unacceptable for the RSF to fire weapons within the vicinity of a hospital.”
“Fighting factions must cease their assaults on medical facilities,” he urged. “Hospitals are closing down. Those still operational cannot cope with an influx of casualties.”
The ongoing war in Sudan has claimed tens of thousands of lives, with U.N. reports indicating that the toll includes up to 15,000 fatalities in a single town in West Darfur.
Nearly nine million people have been uprooted from their homes in this ongoing crisis.
Both factions involved have faced allegations of war crimes, including the deliberate targeting of non-combatants, random shelling of residential zones, and obstructing the flow of humanitarian aid.
Moreover, rights organizations and the United States have condemned the RSF for ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity.
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