A media investigation has revealed evidence that fighters from Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) systematically targeted and destroyed the healthcare network in el-Fasher during a long siege and subsequent takeover of the Darfur city. The findings indicate that medical sites were repeatedly struck, severely disrupting access to emergency services for civilians trapped in the region.
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk described the documented findings as deeply disturbing, stating that multiple deliberate attacks on civilian health infrastructure constitute serious violations of international humanitarian law and may amount to war crimes. Monitoring by UN officials confirmed that repeated strikes damaged or destroyed key facilities across the city.
Pattern of Attacks and Casualties
Data gathered during the investigation recorded at least 43 distinct attacks on medical sites in el-Fasher between May 2024 and October 2025, with several facilities hit repeatedly. Healthcare workers faced extreme danger throughout the conflict; between April 2023 and October 2025, figures show 55 medical personnel were killed, 120 were injured, and 10 were forcibly abducted or disappeared.
Key facilities were rendered operational step-by-step as the fighting progressed. Early conflict forced the closure of el-Fasher’s Teaching Hospital, shifting operations to South Hospital, which was later shelled and raided in June 2024. Services were subsequently relocated to Saudi Maternity Hospital, which endured repeated artillery shelling and precision drone strikes until the city was taken by RSF forces in October 2025. Other facilities, including a specialized children’s hospital and a dialysis centre, were also shelled and forced to close even after changing locations.
Official Responses and Rejections
The World Health Organization (WHO) stated that the events in el-Fasher represent one of the most severe examples of the civil war’s broader impact on healthcare in Sudan. Both sides in the national conflict have faced accusations regarding hospital strikes, including a March 2026 bombing of a hospital in eastern Darfur attributed to the Sudanese military.
The RSF has denied the findings of the investigation. The paramilitary group’s health minister dismissed the allegations as propaganda intended to damage the group’s reputation, claiming instead that certain medical facilities were being utilized as military bases by opposing forces. Local officials and medical professionals categorically rejected those claims, emphasizing that civilian healthcare operations were deliberately targeted to force the evacuation of the city.
Source: BBC News
