El Fasher’s main hospital in North Darfur, the Southern Hospital, has ceased operations following the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) attacks, according to North Darfur’s Minister of Health, Ibrahim Khater.
The hospital, crucial for emergency care, was evacuated of patients, medical staff, and caretakers after RSF troops, armed with heavy and light weapons, stormed the facility, assaulting everyone inside.
Among the injured are the hospital’s general director and the head of the emergency department, who suffered a broken leg.
Khater accused the RSF of stealing two ambulances, numerous medical devices, computers, and damaging remaining equipment.
He highlighted the rising civilian casualties since clashes began between the army and the RSF on May 10, with 481 fatalities and 3,727 injuries, predominantly affecting children, elderly, and women due to deliberate artillery shelling by the RSF on residential areas, shelters, markets, and hospitals.
The Sudanese Displaced and Refugee Bloc warned of the dire health situation in the city, which shelters over two million people, if RSF attacks on hospitals persist.
They accused the RSF of attempting to depopulate the city to occupy civilian homes, urging international and regional communities to monitor and address these violations, calling for the RSF to be designated a terrorist organization.
The conflict between the Sudanese army and RSF, which began on May 10, has seen intense fighting as the RSF seeks to control El Fasher, having already dominated four out of five states in the Darfur region.
This has prompted international and regional warnings about the potential for a humanitarian crisis in the city, home to millions of displaced individuals from the troubled region.
In Shendi, Nile River State, witnesses reported that the army’s defenses shot down five drones over the city early Sunday, with anti-aircraft fire heard for over an hour. Another drone attacked the Wadi Saydna military area north of Omdurman, a key operational base for the army.
Ground clashes between the army and RSF have been ongoing in the White Nile state’s Auj area as RSF advances following their capture of Jebel Aulia south of Khartoum last November.
Residents reported airstrikes and artillery targeting RSF positions to prevent further advances. The sudden outbreak of conflict between the Sudanese army and RSF in mid-April 2023, following weeks of tension during internationally supported political negotiations, has led to severe disruptions and escalating violence in the region.
