Sudan’s brutal conflict in Darfur has taken a devastating toll on the region’s healthcare system, with a BBC investigation uncovering deliberate and systematic attacks by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on hospitals and medical workers in el-Fasher. These assaults, which have unfolded over more than a year, not only crippled essential health services but also raise grave questions about violations of international humanitarian law and potential war crimes.
Systematic Siege of El-Fasher’s Healthcare Infrastructure
The city of el-Fasher, a key urban center in Darfur, has been at the epicenter of fierce fighting since the outbreak of civil war in April 2023 between Sudan’s military and the RSF paramilitary group. According to the BBC’s detailed investigation, the RSF orchestrated a prolonged siege and takeover of the city that included at least 43 documented attacks on hospitals and healthcare facilities from May 2024 through October 2025. These strikes were not random collateral damage but appeared to be calculated efforts to dismantle the city’s healthcare capacity.
Medical professionals who remained in el-Fasher during the siege described harrowing conditions: hospitals repeatedly shelled, surgical theaters destroyed mid-operation, and medical staff targeted with ethnic slurs and physical violence. One surgeon recounted performing a Caesarean section by phone light on the day the maternity hospital was bombed, illustrating the extreme adversity faced by healthcare workers.
Targeting Hospitals as a Strategy of War
The RSF’s attacks on healthcare facilities appear to be part of a deliberate strategy to destabilize the city by cutting off critical services. Dr. Muhamed Suliman, a surgeon based in el-Fasher during the siege, explained that the RSF aimed to evacuate hospitals and render them inoperative, effectively depriving civilians of medical care and forcing them to flee.
The destruction extended beyond the main hospitals. Smaller clinics, dialysis centers, and even relocated medical facilities were shelled and bombed repeatedly. The Saudi Maternity Hospital, which became the last functioning hospital in the city after others were closed or destroyed, endured up to 25 attacks in a single day, including precision drone strikes that tracked patient movements and targeted ambulances and makeshift operating theaters.
Human Cost: Medical Workers Under Fire
The consequences for healthcare personnel have been dire. The BBC’s data shows that between April 2023 and October 2025, 120 medical workers were injured, 55 killed, and at least 10 forcibly disappeared or abducted. Many doctors and nurses were caught in the crossfire or specifically targeted due to their ethnicity or perceived allegiances.
One hospital director was beaten unconscious and only survived by pretending to be dead. Others were detained or coerced to work under RSF control. Several medical staff reported that they were forced to remain in RSF-held hospitals under threat of violence, highlighting the coercive environment in which healthcare was delivered.
International Law and Allegations of War Crimes
The United Nations human rights chief Volker Türk has condemned the attacks, stating they may amount to war crimes. International humanitarian law explicitly protects medical facilities and personnel during armed conflict, and the repeated targeting of hospitals in el-Fasher represents a serious breach of these protections.
While the RSF health minister has dismissed these allegations as propaganda aimed at smearing the paramilitary group, independent investigations and eyewitness testimonies paint a consistent picture of intentional assaults on civilian infrastructure. The World Health Organization has also condemned similar attacks elsewhere in Darfur, underscoring the broader impact of the conflict on Sudan’s fragile healthcare system.
Long-Term Implications for Darfur and Sudan
The destruction of healthcare infrastructure in el-Fasher has far-reaching consequences beyond immediate casualties. With hospitals incapacitated and medical staff killed or abducted, the city’s population faces ongoing health crises, including untreated injuries, infectious disease outbreaks, and maternal and child health emergencies. The siege has exacerbated Darfur’s humanitarian crisis, already marked by displacement and ethnic violence.
The RSF-backed government now controls healthcare in el-Fasher and has announced efforts to reopen hospitals. However, many medical workers remain skeptical, citing forced detentions and a lack of genuine safety guarantees. The rebuilding of trust and infrastructure will be a monumental challenge amid continuing political instability.
This investigation highlights a disturbing pattern where healthcare is weaponized as a tool of war, turning hospitals into battlegrounds and medical workers into targets. The international community faces urgent questions about accountability and the protection of civilians in Sudan’s ongoing conflict, as the scars left on el-Fasher’s hospitals symbolize the broader human cost of war.
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For more context, see related Peack News coverage and explainers linked below.