Artillery shelling threatens to shut down the last functioning hospital in El Fasher

5 August 2024

The continuous artillery shelling and blockage of medical supplies in El Fasher may lead to the closure of the only functioning hospital, Saudi Hospital, according to the medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF). Over 1.2 million people would be deprived of access to healthcare if the hospital closes.

The July 29 attack on the MSF-supported Saudi Hospital in El Fasher marked the 10th time hospitals have been hit in the city since the escalation of fighting in May. The attack resulted in the deaths of three carers and injuries to 25 individuals, including displaced persons seeking refuge in a nearby mosque, MSF reported. The shelling took place while El Fasher was under attack by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). 

Doctors Without Borders also accuse the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of obstructing medical and emergency food supply trucks en route to Kabkabiya, North Darfur State, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis. “The RSF detained our supply trucks in Kabkabiya over the past weeks, which is likely to cause the Saudi Hospital in El Fasher to shut down soon, as surgical equipment is running out and can only treat 100 more cases,” MSF said earlier this month. They warned that repeated attacks on health facilities in El Fasher are contributing to the high death toll in the city.

After a week of calm, artillery exchanges have resumed for a week between the army, its allies from armed movements, and the RSF in El Fasher, the capital city of North Darfur State, following the deadly fighting that erupted over two months ago.

According to Khalid Abkar Mohamed, a member of the Health Emergency Room in El Fasher, the health situation in the city is increasingly perilous, with a rise in attacks on health facilities. “Approximately 90% of the city’s health facilities are non-operational, and the remaining facilities are functioning inefficiently due to random hospital attacks, a scarcity of healthcare personnel, high operational expenses, and inadequate medical supplies.” According to Dr. Ibrahim Abdullah, Director General of the State Ministry of Health, the Saudi Specialised Hospital has been subjected to shelling since last Monday.

Volunteer doctors in El Fasher warned that targeting the remaining functional hospitals would compel medical staff and civilians to evacuate the city. They noted that the medical staff at the Saudi Specialised Hospital have requested to be relocated to a safe location and are refusing to admit new cases.

After an assault by RSF forces in June, the closure of the Southern Referral Hospital for treating the injured occurred, and an airstrike resulted in the cessation of operations at the Babiker Nahar Children’s Centre.

The renewed clashes have caused new waves of displacement for hundreds of civilians in areas like Jebel Marra, Nyala, and El Daein. Khamis Abkar is one of those who fled El Fasher due to the renewed violence and relocated to a displacement camp in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur State. Khamis said that 199 families arrived at the Nyala camps due to the recent artillery shelling in El Fasher, and they are suffering severely from the rains and lack of humanitarian assistance.

Khamis mentioned that they had been surprised to hear artillery shelling in the livestock market in El Fasher, which had remained away from the military clashes due to its economic importance. He noted that he, along with ten members of his family, decided to leave the city after his cousin was killed and four others in his family were injured. “They left everything behind, just as they did 19 years ago when they fled their town east of Jebel Marra due to the Darfur war.”