On 8 June, MSF and the Ministry of Health suspended all activities in South Hospital, Al Fasher, North Darfur, after RSF soldiers stormed the facility, opened fire, and looted it, including stealing an MSF ambulance.
At the time of the incursion, there were only 10 patients and a reduced medical team as MSF and Ministry of Health teams had started transferring patients and medical services to other facilities earlier this week due to intensified fighting.
Most patients and the remaining medical team, including all MSF staff, were able to flee the RSF shooting. Due to the chaos, our team was unable to verify if there were any killed or wounded by the shooting.
“It is outrageous that the RSF opened fire inside the hospital. This is not an isolated incident - staff and patients have endured attacks on the facility for weeks from all sides, but opening fire inside a hospital crosses a line.” said Michel Lacharite, Head of MSF Emergencies.
“Warring parties must stop attacking hospitals. One by one, hospitals are damaged & closed. Remaining facilities in Al Fasher aren't prepared for mass casualties, we are trying to find solutions, but the responsibility lies with warring parties to spare medical facilities,” said Michel Lacharite, MSF
From May 25 to June 3, mortar shells and bullets hit South Hospital directly three times, killing two and wounding 14 patients and caretakers.
South Hospital was the main referral hospital for treating war-wounded in Al Fasher, the only one equipped to manage mass casualties, and one of two hospitals with surgical capacity. Between May 10 until Friday June 6, over 1,300 wounded sought treatment at the hospital.
Wounded are now being transferred to other facilities which were not prepared to cope with such an influx, like the Paediatric hospital and the Saudi hospital. MSF continues to work in Zamzam in response to the nutritional crisis and in helping to organize the transfer of services from South Hospital to other facilities.
At the time of the incursion, there were only 10 patients and a reduced medical team as MSF and Ministry of Health teams had started transferring patients and medical services to other facilities earlier this week due to intensified fighting.
Most patients and the remaining medical team, including all MSF staff, were able to flee the RSF shooting. Due to the chaos, our team was unable to verify if there were any killed or wounded by the shooting.
“It is outrageous that the RSF opened fire inside the hospital. This is not an isolated incident - staff and patients have endured attacks on the facility for weeks from all sides, but opening fire inside a hospital crosses a line.” said Michel Lacharite, Head of MSF Emergencies.
“Warring parties must stop attacking hospitals. One by one, hospitals are damaged & closed. Remaining facilities in Al Fasher aren't prepared for mass casualties, we are trying to find solutions, but the responsibility lies with warring parties to spare medical facilities,” said Michel Lacharite, MSF
From May 25 to June 3, mortar shells and bullets hit South Hospital directly three times, killing two and wounding 14 patients and caretakers.
South Hospital was the main referral hospital for treating war-wounded in Al Fasher, the only one equipped to manage mass casualties, and one of two hospitals with surgical capacity. Between May 10 until Friday June 6, over 1,300 wounded sought treatment at the hospital.
Wounded are now being transferred to other facilities which were not prepared to cope with such an influx, like the Paediatric hospital and the Saudi hospital. MSF continues to work in Zamzam in response to the nutritional crisis and in helping to organize the transfer of services from South Hospital to other facilities.
