The humanitarian situation in Sudan has taken a devastating turn after reports emerged that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia killed hundreds of civilians inside the main hospital in el-Fasher, just days after seizing control of the city.
According to the head of the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, at least 460 people were killed in the assault on the Saudi Hospital, a facility that had served as one of the last lifelines for civilians in the besieged region.
“We are appalled and deeply shocked by the reported killing of patients and health workers at Saudi Hospital,” said Dr. Tedros.
“All attacks on health care must stop immediately and unconditionally. All patients, health personnel and health facilities must be protected under international humanitarian law. Ceasefire!”
El-Fasher Falls After 18-Month Siege
El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, had been the Sudanese army’s last stronghold in the Darfur region.
Its fall on Sunday now effectively splits Sudan, with the RSF controlling most of Darfur and parts of neighboring Kordofan, while the army retains control of Khartoum, central regions, and the Red Sea coast.
Humanitarian observers warn that this territorial divide could harden into a de facto partition, worsening an already catastrophic conflict.
Mounting Attacks on Health Facilities
The WHO chief revealed that, before the attack on Saudi Hospital, the organization had verified 185 attacks on health care facilities since the conflict began, resulting in more than 1,200 deaths.
With el-Fasher now under RSF control, the fate of an estimated 250,000 civilians trapped in the city hangs in the balance.
Aid agencies and human rights groups have expressed alarm over reports of executions, looting, and renewed fighting around displaced persons’ camps.
Sudan’s civil war, which erupted in April 2023 between the national army and the RSF, has created one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
As international pressure mounts for a ceasefire, the tragedy in el-Fasher underscores the growing collapse of law and order in Sudan and the desperate need for global intervention to prevent further atrocities.
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