Sudan: MSF – Attacks On Sudan Hospitals, Ambulance ‘Despicable’

Geneva / Khartoum / El Fasher — International medical humanitarian organisation Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders / MSF) has suspended all medical activities at Bashair Teaching Hospital, one of the last functioning hospitals in south Khartoum, condemning “ongoing violent attacks on patients and staff”. The organisation also decried “a despicable attack on an ambulance” in the North Darfur capital El Fasher on Friday, that left one passenger dead.

In separate statements at the weekend, MSF laments ongoing violent attacks on patients and staff at Bashair Teaching Hospital, located in an area of Khartoum under control of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). “Despite extensive engagements with all stakeholders, these attacks have continued in recent months. MSF has now taken the very difficult decision to suspend all medical activities in the hospital.”

The statement highlights that “in the 20 months MSF teams have worked alongside hospital staff and volunteers, Bashair Hospital has experienced repeated incidents of armed fighters entering the hospital with weapons and threatening medical staff, often demanding fighters be treated before other patients.”

MSF enumerates a litany of violations: “The suffering we witness in Khartoum is enormous. Intense and extreme violence continues daily. Shortages and blockages of food, supplies and humanitarian aid leave people scrambling to survive. The medical needs are overwhelming. Injuries are often horrific. Mass casualty incidents have become almost routine,” said Claire San Filippo, MSF Emergency Coordinator. “Our team, hospital staff, and volunteers have worked tirelessly in very difficult conditions to provide the medical care. But without the security to operate safely it has become untenable to continue when the lives of our staff and patients are threatened.”

Bashair Hospital is one of the last functioning hospitals in south Khartoum offering free medical care. MSF says that since the end of September, the hospital has seen a surge in cases of people arriving with violent trauma injuries as fighting has escalated. Sometimes dozens of people arrived at the hospital at the same time after shelling or airstrikes on residential areas and markets. MSF continues to work in 11 states in Sudan, including the city of Omdurman in Khartoum. “We hope that conditions will allow us to return to Bashair Hospital in the future and restart medical activities,” the statement concludes.

Ambulance attacked in North Darfur

In a separate statement, MSF condemns a despicable attack on an ambulance. They say that the ambulance, that was clearly marked ambulance with the MSF logo and flag, was transporting a woman in labour, who required emergency surgery, along with two caretakers, MSF drivers, and medical staff, from the MSF field hospital in Zamzam camp for the displaced to the Saudi Hospital in El Fasher, “the only public hospital with surgical capacity still standing in the area despite relentless attacks”.

“The MSF ambulance was shot at in El Fasher by an unknown gunman. One of the caretakers was injured by the gunfire, and died after the crew eventually reached Saudi Hospital. This is the second shooting against an MSF ambulance in less than a month in El Fasher,” MSF says.

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“We are horrified by this deadly attack on a humanitarian crew carrying out lifesaving medical work where it’s desperately needed. Our priority is to support the people who have been attacked and are obviously shocked. We also need to engage with all armed actors active in the area to understand what happened and obtain guarantees that patients, medical staff, ambulances and health facilities are respected to continue working”, says Michel Olivier Lacharité, MSF’s head of emergency operations.

An MSF ambulance was hit by bullets in El Fasher on 27 December during a similar referral of patients from Zamzam to Saudi Hospital, but no one was injured, the MSF statement concludes.

Radio Dabanga has approached the Rapid Support Forces for comment.

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