At least 13 people have been confirmed dead following a deadly attack on one of the last functioning hospitals in El-Fasher, a Sudanese city under siege, as the country’s brutal civil war deepens.
According to medical sources, 16 others — including a doctor and a nurse — sustained injuries after the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) launched multiple shelling attacks on the Saudi Hospital on Tuesday night.
Images from the scene showed the devastating aftermath: shattered windows, walls riddled with shrapnel cracks, a large hole blown through the mud-brick structure, and twisted metal from destroyed hospital beds scattered across the floors.
A coalition of Sudanese medics has condemned the assault, describing it as a war crime. The RSF has maintained a siege on El-Fasher for more than 17 months, trapping hundreds of thousands of civilians who now face dire shortages of food, water, and medical care.
The city remains the last major military stronghold of the Sudanese army in the Darfur region, making it a key battleground in the ongoing conflict between the RSF and the army for control of western Sudan.
This week’s strike marks the second attack on the Saudi Hospital this year. In January, an earlier shelling killed three children and injured three others. The latest bombardment tore through several wards, reducing parts of the hospital to rubble.
In recent weeks, the RSF has intensified its offensive on El-Fasher, prompting fears among analysts that the city could soon fall unless the army receives urgent reinforcements.
The Sudanese conflict — now in its third year — has led to what the United Nations calls the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, claiming tens of thousands of lives and displacing millions.
Most health facilities in El-Fasher have been forced to close due to relentless fighting, while aid convoys carrying food and medical supplies have been blocked from reaching those in need.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, warned last Thursday that the situation is approaching catastrophe, saying:
“After over 500 days of unremitting siege by the RSF and incessant fighting, El-Fasher is on the precipice of an even greater catastrophe if urgent measures are not taken to loosen the armed vice on the city and protect civilians.”
