The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have attacked the last functioning hospital in al-Fashir, Sudan, killing hundreds, officials said. The World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed the assault after verifying eyewitness accounts and photos from the scene.
The RSF took control of the city from the Sudanese army earlier this week. Communication is still cut off, and doctors from the hospital have not been heard from since Sunday.
More than 36,000 residents fled al-Fashir, but over 200,000 remain trapped after an 18-month siege. Governor Minni Minawi said on social media that 460 people died during the attack on Saudi Hospital.
The WHO also reported that four doctors, a nurse, and a pharmacist were kidnapped during the raid. Satellite images reviewed by Yale’s Humanitarian Research Lab showed possible human remains near the hospital.
Rights groups accuse the RSF of mass killings and ethnic violence across Darfur. Al-Fashir was the Sudanese army’s last major base in the region. Before the attack, doctors had treated patients with almost no medicine or supplies.
The WHO urged all sides to protect medical workers and hospitals, calling the attack a major violation of humanitarian law.
