Sudan: Doctors Without Borders suspends operations in Khartoum hospital
Civilians who fled the war-torn Sudan following the outbreak of fighting between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) walk at the Joda South border point, in Renk County, Upper Nile state, South Sudan April 30, 2023. REUTERS/Jok Solomun
Medical aid organization Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), also known as Doctors Without Borders, announced on Friday the suspension of its activities at Bashair Hospital in southern Khartoum due to repeated attacks, further isolating residents of the war-torn Sudanese capital.
Since April 2023, Sudan has been gripped by a devastating conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), triggered by a failed transition to civilian rule.
The war has led to the world’s largest displacement and hunger crisis, leaving millions trapped in a dire humanitarian situation.
Located in RSF-controlled territory, Bashair Hospital has treated victims of SAF airstrikes, along with thousands of malnourished women and children in famine-prone neighborhoods. Over 20 months of operation, the facility served over 25,000 patients, including 9,000 injured by blasts, gunfire, and other violence.
However, MSF reported repeated incursions by armed fighters into the hospital, who often threatened medical staff and demanded priority treatment for combatants. Despite ongoing negotiations with stakeholders, these violations persisted, compelling MSF to suspend its services.
The conflict has decimated Sudan’s healthcare system, with up to 80% of hospitals in conflict zones rendered inoperative. Civilians who remain face relentless airstrikes, artillery fire, and skyrocketing food prices as warring factions block supplies.
MSF’s decision raises the worsening humanitarian crisis in Sudan, where vital medical services are increasingly unavailable to a population already enduring extreme violence, hunger, and displacement.
