Medical aid organization Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has suspended its activities at Bashair Hospital in southern Khartoum due to repeated attacks, further depriving the Sudanese capital of vital healthcare amid ongoing conflict.
The hospital, located in territory controlled by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), was a critical facility treating victims of airstrikes by the Sudanese Armed Forces, as well as malnourished women and children in famine-prone areas.
“In the 20 months MSF teams have worked alongside hospital staff and volunteers, Bashair Hospital has experienced repeated incidents of armed fighters entering the hospital with weapons and threatening medical staff, often demanding fighters be treated before other patients,” MSF said in a statement.
Despite extensive efforts to engage all stakeholders, the attacks persisted, leading MSF to take the difficult decision to halt all medical activities at the hospital.
Since April 2023, Sudan has been engulfed in a brutal war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF, triggered by a power struggle ahead of a planned transition to civilian rule. The conflict has caused one of the world’s largest displacement and hunger crises, leaving millions trapped in conflict zones without access to basic necessities.
Bashair Hospital, which had served over 25,000 patients, including 9,000 injured by blasts and gunfire, was often overwhelmed by mass casualty events. MSF recounted an airstrike on Sunday, one kilometer from the hospital, which brought 50 patients to its emergency room. Twelve of them had already succumbed to their injuries.
The wider conflict has devastated Sudan’s healthcare system, with up to 80% of hospitals in conflict zones now non-operational. Civilians unable to escape face daily threats of violence, hunger, and skyrocketing prices as supplies remain blocked by both warring factions.
Medical facilities, including MSF-supported centers, have been frequent targets of looting and armed intrusions by RSF soldiers demanding care. The closure of Bashair Hospital marks another blow to the dwindling lifelines for the people of Khartoum.
MSF called the decision to suspend operations “heartbreaking” and reiterated its commitment to supporting the Sudanese people where possible, despite the escalating risks to its staff and patients.
