The World Health Organization (WHO) and medical networks in Sudan have condemned the reported killing of hundreds of civilians at the Saudi Hospital in El-Fasher, following the city’s capture by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia.
WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the agency was “appalled and deeply shocked” by reports that RSF fighters killed 460 people inside the hospital. “All attacks on health care must stop immediately and unconditionally. All patients, health personnel and health facilities must be protected under international humanitarian law,” he urged, calling for an immediate ceasefire.
According to the Sudan Doctors’ Network, RSF fighters “cold-bloodedly killed everyone they found inside the Saudi Hospital, including patients, companions, and staff.” The group described the city’s medical centers as having been “transformed into human slaughterhouses.” It also accused the militia of kidnapping six health workers — four doctors, a pharmacist, and a nurse — and demanding ransoms exceeding $150,000 for their release.
Local activist group El-Fasher Resistance Committee confirmed the attack, describing a “horrifying silence” after the assault. The Saudi Hospital massacre came just days after the RSF captured El-Fasher, the army’s final stronghold in the Darfur region, following an 18-month siege marked by heavy bombardment and widespread starvation.
Since the conflict began in April 2023, the RSF and allied Arab militias have been accused of carrying out ethnically motivated attacks on non-Arab communities in Darfur — allegations the group denies. The fall of El-Fasher has raised grave concerns for the estimated 250,000 civilians trapped in the city.
A communications blackout has made it difficult to verify events on the ground, but BBC Verify has authenticated videos showing RSF fighters executing unarmed individuals in recent days. Aid agencies say the full scale of the devastation is only beginning to emerge as survivors flee to nearby towns such as Tawila, 60 kilometers west of El-Fasher.
One displaced resident told BBC Arabic that the RSF had beaten and robbed them during their escape. “The shelling was so intense that we had no choice but to flee. Along the way, people were captured, ransoms were demanded, and some were later executed,” he recounted.
Former UN humanitarian chief Jan Egeland described the situation as catastrophic. “We have had massacres on top of months of deprivation, starvation, and no medical care. I think this is the worst place on Earth right now — the biggest humanitarian emergency, happening in the dark,” he told the BBC.
Before the hospital attack, the WHO had already verified 185 assaults on health facilities since the war’s outbreak, resulting in over 1,200 deaths.
The RSF now controls most of Darfur and large parts of Kordofan, while Sudan’s army holds Khartoum, the central, and eastern regions along the Red Sea. The two rival factions — once allies after seizing power in a 2021 coup — turned against each other over a proposed transition to civilian rule.
The World Health Organization (WHO) and medical networks in Sudan have condemned the reported killing of hundreds of civilians at the Saudi Hospital in El-Fasher, following the city’s capture by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia.
WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the agency was “appalled and deeply shocked” by reports that RSF fighters killed 460 people inside the hospital. “All attacks on health care must stop immediately and unconditionally. All patients, health personnel and health facilities must be protected under international humanitarian law,” he urged, calling for an immediate ceasefire.
According to the Sudan Doctors’ Network, RSF fighters “cold-bloodedly killed everyone they found inside the Saudi Hospital, including patients, companions, and staff.” The group described the city’s medical centers as having been “transformed into human slaughterhouses.” It also accused the militia of kidnapping six health workers — four doctors, a pharmacist, and a nurse — and demanding ransoms exceeding $150,000 for their release.
Local activist group El-Fasher Resistance Committee confirmed the attack, describing a “horrifying silence” after the assault. The Saudi Hospital massacre came just days after the RSF captured El-Fasher, the army’s final stronghold in the Darfur region, following an 18-month siege marked by heavy bombardment and widespread starvation.
Since the conflict began in April 2023, the RSF and allied Arab militias have been accused of carrying out ethnically motivated attacks on non-Arab communities in Darfur — allegations the group denies. The fall of El-Fasher has raised grave concerns for the estimated 250,000 civilians trapped in the city.
A communications blackout has made it difficult to verify events on the ground, but BBC Verify has authenticated videos showing RSF fighters executing unarmed individuals in recent days. Aid agencies say the full scale of the devastation is only beginning to emerge as survivors flee to nearby towns such as Tawila, 60 kilometers west of El-Fasher.
One displaced resident told BBC Arabic that the RSF had beaten and robbed them during their escape. “The shelling was so intense that we had no choice but to flee. Along the way, people were captured, ransoms were demanded, and some were later executed,” he recounted.
Former UN humanitarian chief Jan Egeland described the situation as catastrophic. “We have had massacres on top of months of deprivation, starvation, and no medical care. I think this is the worst place on Earth right now — the biggest humanitarian emergency, happening in the dark,” he told the BBC.
Before the hospital attack, the WHO had already verified 185 assaults on health facilities since the war’s outbreak, resulting in over 1,200 deaths.
The RSF now controls most of Darfur and large parts of Kordofan, while Sudan’s army holds Khartoum, the central, and eastern regions along the Red Sea. The two rival factions — once allies after seizing power in a 2021 coup — turned against each other over a proposed transition to civilian rule.