Rights Groups Denounce Sudan Hospital Attacks as Thousands Seek Safety in Al-Fasher Crisis

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Sudan’s paramilitary forces killed hundreds of people, including patients in a hospital, after they seized the city of Al-Fasher in the western Darfur region over the weekend, according to the United Nations and displaced residents and aid workers.

The 460 patients and companions were reportedly killed at Saudi Maternity Hospital in Al-Fasher, the provincial capital of North Darfur, World Health Organization (WHO) director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement, adding the WHO was “appalled and deeply shocked” by the reports.

The Sudan Doctors Network, a medical group tracking the war, said fighters from the Rapid Support Forces on Tuesday “cold-bloodedly killed everyone they found inside the Saudi Hospital, including patients, their companions, and anyone else present in the wards”.

United Nations spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric condemned the violence.

“Today, we were horrified by reports of the tragic killings of more than 460 people, both patients and their companions, at the Saudi Maternity Hospital in El-Fasher,” Dujarric said.

“In recent developments, there have been alarming incidents, including assaults and kidnappings of healthcare professionals. Before this latest event, the World Health Organization (WHO) had already confirmed 185 attacks on healthcare facilities in Sudan, resulting in 1,204 fatalities and 416 injuries among healthcare workers and patients since the conflict began in April 2023.”

Tragically, over 460 individuals, including patients and their companions, have been reported dead at the Saudi Maternity Hospital. Source: AAP / AP / Airbus DS 2025

Eyewitness accounts from Sudanese civilians and humanitarian workers have brought to light the brutalities committed by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The RSF has been engaged in a fierce struggle since 2023 to gain control over Sudan, Africa’s third-largest country, especially after capturing the army’s last holdout in Darfur following a prolonged siege lasting more than 500 days.

In his initial remarks following the fall of Al-Fasher, shared on the Telegram messaging app on Wednesday, an official mentioned that an investigation had been initiated but provided no further details.

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UN refugee agency official Jacqueline Wilma Parlevliet said that the new arrivals told stories of widespread ethnic and politically motivated killings, including reports of people with disabilities shot dead because they were unable to flee, and others shot as they tried to escape.

Witnesses told the Associated Press that RSF fighters — on foot, riding on camels, or in vehicles — went from house to house, beating and shooting at people, including women and children. Many died of gunshot wounds in the streets, some while trying to flee to safety, the witnesses said.

Footage of the attacks triggered a wave of outrage around the world. France, Germany, the UK and the European Union all condemned the atrocities.

Mohamed Osman, Sudan researcher with Human Rights Watch, said that footage coming out of Al-Fasher “reveals a horrifying truth: the Rapid Support Forces feel free to carry out mass atrocities with little fear of consequences”.

“The world needs to act to protect civilians from more heinous crimes,” he said.