Médecins Sans Frontières announced that the paramilitary "Rapid Support" forces attacked the main hospital in the Sudanese city of El Fasher, which is supported by the organization, causing it to cease operations. The city, located in the Darfur region of northwestern Sudan, is home to over 1.8 million residents and displaced individuals, and it is the latest front in the fighting that has been ongoing since April 2023 between the Sudanese army and the "Rapid Support" forces. The "Rapid Support" forces, which control the capital Khartoum and most areas of western Sudan, are seeking to advance further into the central part of the country, while United Nations agencies state that the Sudanese people face an "imminent famine threat."
The UN reports that approximately 130,000 people have fled their homes in El Fasher due to the ongoing fighting in April and May. The "Rapid Support" forces did not respond to a request for comment. According to Médecins Sans Frontières, as reported by Reuters, the southern hospital was the only one in El Fasher capable of handling what the organization describes as daily events witnessing a high number of casualties and injuries. The organization stated that about 1,315 injured individuals entered the hospital, while 208 died inside between May 10 and June 6, but a large number of people are unable to reach the hospital due to the fighting.
Shooting Inside the Hospital
Michel-Olivier Lacharité, head of emergency operations at the organization, stated, "It is disgraceful that the (Rapid Support) forces are shooting inside the hospital. This is not an isolated incident; staff and patients have faced attacks on the facility for weeks from all sides, but shooting inside a hospital goes beyond the limit."
The hospital had already begun evacuating patients earlier due to having been damaged by fighting three times since May 25, and the remaining patients and staff managed to escape. The El Fasher Emergency Room and Camps, a group of volunteers, reported on Sunday that the attack by the "Rapid Support" elements resulted in several deaths and injuries and led to the looting of medicines and an ambulance. A witness stated that he saw people exiting the hospital, while other witnesses claimed that the "Rapid Support" forces fired rockets at the hospital and its surrounding areas.
The Abu Shouk Camp Coordination and a volunteer reported that another attack occurred on Saturday at the camp located north of the city, affecting another medical center and resulting in at least two deaths and over 30 injuries.
