“There were a lot of bomb fragments that landed on the hospital,” said Dr. Prince Djuma Safari, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) deputy medical coordinator in El Fasher, Sudan. “The roof of the ICU collapsed and two children in the ICU died as a result. Many of the caregivers were also wounded. One of them died and one of them lost his leg.”

Intense fighting in El Fasher, the capital of Sudan’s North Darfur state, has been ongoing since May 10, devastating civilians and forcing hospitals to close. Recent airstrikes landed near MSF-supported Babiker Nahar Pediatric Hospital where 115 children were receiving treatment. It was one of the few facilities that specialized in treating sick children that had remained open since the outbreak of war, but the recent attack has forced the hospital to close. 

North Darfur had been relatively safe compared to other parts of Darfur. Now, there are snipers in the streets, heavy shelling is taking place, and nowhere in the city of El Fasher is safe at all. In the few days since violence escalated, MSF-supported South Hospital has received 454 patients. MSF urgently calls for all warring parties to protect civilians and ensure the protection of health structures and personnel.

In Sudan, Haiti, Gaza, and around the world, the safety of civilians and medical facilities must be respected.

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