Sudan: Mass influxes of wounded patients to hospitals across the country as ‘war on people’ continues

Civilians have also been killed in El Fasher, North Darfur, the scene of fierce clashes in recent months. Over the last few days Doctors Without Borders teams have been treating wounded civilians in Zamzam camp after escalating heavy fighting between the RSF and SAF and their Joint Forces allies resulted in scores of casualties. On 2 February the MSF field hospital in Zamzam camp received 21 wounded patients, more than half of whom were children, who had been injured while fleeing Shagra, a village in El Fasher locality. 

Doctors Without Borders' field hospital in Zamzam is for paediatric and maternal healthcare and not equipped to handle trauma injuries requiring surgery. The only remaining surgical services were a few kilometres away, yet people were unable to use the road between Zamzam and El Fasher due to the ongoing fighting and shifting frontlines. 

Patients in critical condition were trapped in Zamzam camp with no access to lifesaving care. Four patients were among the wounded who passed away, five patients were successfully referred to El Fasher on 3 February where Saudi hospital remains somewhat functional despite relentless attacks, with a recent bombing of the facility on 24 January reportedly killing 70 people. 

Thousands of people fleeing from Shagra have arrived in Zamzam in recent days, leaving everything behind in desperate search of safety. They have told our teams of horrific violence in the area. About 60 families from Shagra also reached Tawila, where Doctors Without Borders runs an emergency programme providing emergency, nutritional, paediatric and maternal healthcare. They told Doctors Without Borders teams that people were robbed and attacked as they fled along the road.  

Violence has also intensified in Khartoum state since the beginning of February. On 4 February, during RSF shelling of Omdurman there were explosions within 100 metres of the Doctors Without Borders supported Al Nao hospital. The Ministry of Health reported that 38 people were injured and six people were killed, including a volunteer from the Al Nao initiative, in which people volunteer to assist in running the hospital.

This is the second time medics working at the hospital have responded to a mass influx of wounded patients in recent days. On 1 February an RSF attack on a market on 1 February killed 54 people, according to the Ministry of Health. Since the war in Sudan started Al Nao hospital has been hit by explosions three times, in August 2023, October 2023 and June 2024.

“The violence that the Rapid Support Forces and Sudanese Armed Forces are inflicting on civilians right across Sudan is tragic and appalling”, said Ozan Agbas Doctors Without Borders Emergency Manager.