El Fasher, North Darfur State, is mourning the loss of its only functioning medical facility, El Fasher South Hospital, following a violent attack by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on Saturday evening. The RSF forces stormed the hospital, causing chaos by assaulting patients, staff, and visitors, looting essential items such as money, mobile phones, and even an ambulance. The attack was eventually quelled by the army and its allied armed movements after a fierce confrontation.
Director General of the Ministry of Health in North Darfur State, Ibrahim Abdallah, confirmed that the hospital is now non-operational, with patients and staff safely evacuated. Abdallah revealed the gruesome details of the attack, mentioning the execution of several patients, kidnapping of visitors, looting of salaries and medications, destruction of vehicles, and the despicable act of opening fire inside the hospital by the RSF.
Doctors Without Borders (MSF), which collaborated with the Ministry of Health to run the hospital, expressed deep condemnation for the attack in their official statement released on Sunday. Michel Lacharite, MSF Head of Emergencies, expressed outrage over the violence, especially the act of firing guns within the hospital premises. Lacharite emphasized that attacks on the hospital had been ongoing for weeks, but the recent incident had crossed a grave line.
The timing of the assault left only 10 patients and a reduced medical team at the hospital, as MSF and the Ministry of Health had already initiated the transfer of patients and services to other facilities due to escalating violence. El Fasher South Hospital held critical importance as one of the two hospitals in the city capable of conducting surgical procedures, serving as the primary hub for treating war-wounded individuals.
May 10 marked the beginning of fierce battles in El Fasher between the army, its allied forces, and the RSF. Civilians bore the brunt of the conflict, experiencing casualties, forced displacement, and significant infrastructural damage. The RSF’s targeting of El Fasher indicates a strategic move to assert control over the last standing city in the Darfur region that has not fallen under their dominance. Their previous successful takeovers of South, Central, West, and East Darfur have already displaced the army from these areas.
The assault on El Fasher South Hospital signifies a tragic turn in the ongoing conflict in North Darfur State, highlighting the vulnerabilities faced by medical facilities and the grim impact on the local population. The resilience of the medical community and humanitarian organizations in the face of such adversity underscores the importance of safeguarding healthcare infrastructure in conflict zones.