Sudan Paramilitary Attacks Last Functioning Hospital In El-Fasher, Forcing Closure

The Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group in Sudan, has attacked the last functioning hospital in El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, on Sunday, according to an international aid group.

They fired at medical staff and patients and looted the facility, forcing it to close, the medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said.

On Saturday, MSF and the Ministry of Health suspended all activities in South Hospital, El Fasher, North Darfur, after RSF soldiers stormed the facility, opened fire, and looted it, including stealing an MSF ambulance, it said in a statement posted late Sunday on X.

Michel Lacharite, head of emergency operations at MSF, condemned the attack, noting that while the facility had faced weeks of violence, firing inside a hospital was particularly egregious.

At the time of the attack, the hospital had 10 patients and a reduced medical staff, as evacuations had already begun. Most patients and staff managed to flee. However, it is unclear if there were any casualties.

El-Fasher is the only state capital in Darfur not controlled by the RSF and has seen intermittent clashes since the conflict began in April 2023 when tensions between the leaders of the military and the RSF exploded into open fighting in the country.

Fighting intensified on May 10, leading to over 192 deaths and more than 1,230 injuries, according to MSF.

The ongoing war in Sudan has killed more than 14,000 people and displaced nearly nine million, pushing the population towards famine.

The U.N. warned last month that without humanitarian aid, widespread starvation and death could occur in Darfur and other regions.

Both sides in the conflict have been accused of targeting civilians, shelling residential areas, blocking aid, and committing widespread sexual violence, which the U.N. says amounts to war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The RSF, born out of Arab militias, commonly known as Janjaweed, mobilised by former President Omar al-Bashir, has also been accused of ethnic cleansing, among other atrocities.

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