Sudanese RSF militia kills hundreds at el-Fasher hospital, WHO and doctors say

Hundreds of civilians were reportedly killed by the Rapid Support Forces at the main hospital in el-Fasher, days after the militia captured the Sudanese city, the head of the UN health agency said.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), said the agency was “appalled and deeply shocked” by reports of 460 people killed at the hospital.

The Sudan Doctors’ Network said RSF fighters had “cold-bloodedly killed everyone they found inside the Saudi Hospital, including patients, companions, and anyone else present.” Medical facilities in the city, it added, had been “transformed into human slaughterhouses.” The network also reported the kidnapping of six medics, including four doctors, a pharmacist, and a nurse, with ransoms reportedly exceeding $150,000 for their release.

Local activists, including the el-Fasher Resistance Committee, described a “horrifying silence” after the attack. The city, previously the army’s last stronghold in Darfur, fell to the RSF on Sunday following an 18-month siege marked by starvation and bombardment.

Since the war began in April 2023, the RSF and allied Arab militias in Darfur have been accused of targeting non-Arab ethnic groups, allegations the RSF denies. With el-Fasher under RSF control, the UN and aid agencies fear for the 250,000 people still trapped in the city. A communications blackout has made independent verification difficult.

BBC Verify has analyzed videos showing RSF fighters executing unarmed civilians. Survivors fleeing to Tawila, 60 km west of el-Fasher, described intense shelling, beatings, theft, and executions along the way.

Jan Egeland, former UN humanitarian official, called the situation “catastrophic” and “the biggest humanitarian emergency on Earth,” citing massacres, starvation, and lack of medical care.

Dr. Tedros noted that, prior to the Saudi Hospital attack, the WHO had verified 185 attacks on healthcare facilities, causing 1,204 deaths since the start of the conflict. He called for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire and protection for all patients, medical personnel, and health facilities under international law.

The capture of el-Fasher effectively splits Sudan, with the RSF controlling most of Darfur and parts of Kordofan, while the army retains control over Khartoum and central and eastern regions. The RSF and army had been allies since a 2021 coup, but fell out over a plan to transition toward civilian rule.

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