Hundreds of individuals, including patients, staff, and visitors, lost their lives in a hospital due to attacks by paramilitary forces. The death toll in the Sudanese city, described as a place of extreme suffering, has now surpassed 1,500.
Reports from those fleeing the western city of el-Fasher in war-torn Sudan detail horrific incidents carried out by fighters who captured the provincial capital of North Darfur over the weekend, according to the UN. Among the victims were 460 patients at Saudi Maternity Hospital who were killed on Tuesday by members of the Rapid Support Forces, confirmed Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director-general of the World Health Organization.
Witnesses recounted that during the assault on el-Fasher, RSF fighters conducted door-to-door attacks, assaulting and shooting residents, including women and children. Many succumbed to gunshot wounds on the streets while attempting to escape to safety.
The ongoing conflict for control in Sudan has resulted in the deaths of over 40,000 people, a number that human rights organizations believe is significantly underestimated. This crisis has led to over 14 million people being displaced, marking it as one of the world’s most severe humanitarian emergencies. The capture of el-Fasher by a formidable Arab-led force has sparked concerns of potential further fragmentation in Africa’s third-largest nation, reminiscent of the split that occurred approximately 15 years ago when South Sudan gained independence.
Eye-witnesses and relief workers in Sudan have revealed distressing accounts of atrocities committed by the RSF following their seizure of the army’s final stronghold in Darfur after over 500 days of siege. The Sudan Doctors Network, a medical organization monitoring the conflict, reported that RSF fighters ruthlessly killed everyone they encountered inside the Saudi Hospital, including patients, their companions, and other individuals in the wards.
Residents, such as Umm Amena, shared their harrowing experiences of the RSF’s brutality, highlighting the lack of mercy shown by the fighters. RSF commander Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, sanctioned by the US, acknowledged the “abuses” by his forces, mentioning that an investigation was initiated without providing further details.
The governor of Darfur, Mini Minawi, posted a video online purportedly showing RSF fighters inside the Saudi Hospital, depicting a scene of carnage with bodies strewn across the floor. The footage captured a fighter shooting a lone man, resulting in his collapse amidst other bodies visible outside.
Amena, along with numerous others, was detained by RSF fighters in an abandoned house near the Saudi Hospital in el-Fasher. She and several others managed to escape, arriving in the town of Tawila, 37 miles away, where they joined the already significant population of displaced individuals.
The UN migration agency reported that over 36,000 people have fled el-Fasher, seeking refuge mostly in rural areas surrounding the city since Sunday. Accounts from the new arrivals described widespread killings driven by ethnic and political divisions, including instances of individuals with disabilities being shot because they could not escape and others being targeted while attempting to flee.
The situation in Tawila, as described by residents like Tajal-Rahman, has become dire, with numerous casualties and no assistance available. Reports from aid groups indicate challenges in determining an accurate death toll following the RSF’s takeover of el-Fasher due to communication disruptions and a restricted flow of information.
Before the recent surge in violence, nearly 1,850 civilians had already lost their lives in North Darfur, with a significant portion of these casualties occurring in el-Fasher between January 1 and October 20 of this year.