Sudan healthcare sites faced deliberate RSF attacks in el-Fasher, BBC reports

Sudanese paramilitary forces carried out systematic assaults on the healthcare infrastructure of el-Fasher during their extended siege and capture of the Darfur city, according to a BBC investigation.

United Nations human rights chief Volker Türk described the findings as deeply disturbing, stating that repeated strikes on medical centres and other civilian infrastructure by the Rapid Support Forces violate international humanitarian law and could constitute war crimes.

The RSF has denied the allegations. The health minister in the paramilitary group's administration rejected the reporting as propaganda and claimed it was an attempt by the Sudanese military and allied forces to damage the RSF's reputation.

Drawing on testimony from ground sources in the western city, the investigation documented at least 43 independent strikes on clinics and hospitals between May 2024 and October 2025, with several sites hit on multiple occasions. International humanitarian law explicitly shields medical personnel and healthcare facilities from attack during armed conflicts.

Healthcare personnel suffered severe casualties throughout the conflict. BBC figures indicate that from April 2023 through October 2025, 55 medical workers were killed, 120 sustained injuries, and 10 were abducted or forcibly disappeared in el-Fasher.

Physicians who worked in the city during the siege stated that the strikes appeared calculated to dismantle vital services and force the local population to flee. When the war began in April 2023, early fighting forced key facilities such as the Teaching Hospital to shut down and transfer operations to South Hospital. As paramilitary forces pushed into the area in mid-2024, South Hospital endured severe artillery fire before being raided in June, forcing its closure.

Medical teams and equipment subsequently relocated to the Saudi Maternity Hospital in western el-Fasher, which soon faced intense bombardment. Doctors recounted instances where the facility was struck up to two dozen times in a single day by artillery and drone strikes. As specialized clinics, children's wards, and dialysis centres were repeatedly shelled after attempting to move to alternative locations, medical staff at the Saudi Hospital resorted to building sandbag barriers and makeshift underground bunkers from shipping containers to continue surgeries. By the time the paramilitary group took the city in October 2025, it was the final operational hospital left standing.

Both sides in Sudan's civil war have faced accusations regarding attacks on medical infrastructure. In March 2026, the World Health Organization condemned airstrikes on al-Daein hospital in eastern Darfur, which were widely attributed to Sudan's armed forces despite military denials. However, the World Health Organization told the BBC that the events in el-Fasher constitute one of the most severe manifestations of the conflict's toll on healthcare across the country.