Hospitals have been looted, ambulances hijacked, and medical workers attacked during five days of fierce fighting in Sudan, officials say.
he World Health Organisation warned that the “deeply concerning” attacks on health infrastructure “appear to be increasing,” hindering access to care for citizens caught up in the unfolding conflict.
Fighting erupted on Saturday between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) after weeks of tension. At least 174 deaths have been reported, while the UN says that more than 1,800 people have been injured.
Dr Ahmed Al-Mandhari, the WHO regional director, said: “Reports of military strikes against health facilities, hijacking of ambulances while patients and paramedics are on board, looting of health facilities, and military forces occupying health facilities are deeply concerning.”
It’s estimated that 16 hospitals, including nine in the capital Khartoum, are now non-functional.
“Attacks on health care are a flagrant violation of international law and the right to health. They must stop now,” said Dr Al-Mandhari.
The Sudanese army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) were once allies, seizing power together in a 2021 coup. However, tensions mounted over the proposed integration of the RSF into the military.
Read More
The Sudanese armed forces have the advantage in numbers and conventional firepower. Reports suggest they are using airstrikes to bomb the RSF out of Khartoum.
RSF soldiers have tried to seize airfields across the country to neutralise fighter jets, and are taking over civilian homes in the capital in a bid to make themselves more difficult to weed out. Hospitals that have remained operational have also reported shortages of blood, transfusion equipment, intravenous fluids and medical supplies.
On Tuesday, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said it was nearly impossible to provide humanitarian services around Khartoum.
“The truth is that at the moment it is almost impossible to provide any humanitarian services in and around Khartoum,” Farid Aiywar, IFRC head of delegation for Sudan, told reporters via video link from Nairobi.
Meanwhile, the international medical group Doctors Without Borders tweeted that its warehouse holding vital medical supplies had been raided.
“In Khartoum, most teams are trapped by the ongoing heavy fighting and are unable to access warehouses to deliver vital medical supplies to hospitals,” said Dr Ghazali Babiker, a representative for the charity in Sudan.
“Even ambulances are being turned back. They are not being permitted to pass in order to retrieve the bodies of the dead from the streets - or to transport those who have been injured to hospital.”
He added that the majority of the wounded are civilians caught in the crossfire. “Among them are many children.
“They have extremely serious injuries.” (© Telegraph Media Group Ltd 2023)
Telegraph Media Group Limited [2023]