BBC: Sudan’s RSF Accused of 43 Attacks on El-Fasher Hospitals, Killing 55 Medical Workers
A BBC investigation says Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces carried out at least 43 attacks on hospitals and healthcare sites in El-Fasher between May 2024 and October 2025, injuring about 120 medical workers and killing 55. The findings suggest a sustained campaign against clinics and ambulances during the siege and takeover of the Darfur city.
A BBC investigation has accused Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces of repeatedly attacking the medical system in one of Darfur’s most important cities during a prolonged siege.
The BBC found that the RSF carried out at least 43 separate attacks on hospitals and healthcare sites in El-Fasher between May 2024 and October 2025. That period covers the siege of the city and its subsequent capture by the paramilitary group.
According to the investigation, about 120 medical workers were injured and 55 were killed in these incidents. Ten medical workers were reported detained. The pattern documented by the BBC suggests that hospitals, clinics and other health facilities were not just caught in crossfire but subjected to repeated, targeted violence.
For civilians in El-Fasher and surrounding areas, the impact of such a campaign is immediate. When hospitals and clinics are struck or threatened, residents lose access to emergency care for conflict injuries and to routine services such as maternal health and treatment for chronic disease.
Health staff in Darfur have worked under strain for years. The reported RSF attacks add a new layer of danger, making each shift a potential frontline assignment and encouraging those who can leave to do so, even as needs rise.
Strategically, sustained attacks on healthcare in El-Fasher fit with accounts of siege tactics used in Darfur, where armed groups have cut off essential services as they pushed for control. Hospitals often double as humanitarian hubs, so disabling them weakens civilian resilience.
Under international humanitarian law, deliberate attacks on medical facilities and personnel can amount to war crimes. The BBC’s findings give human rights groups and investigators a detailed case study of alleged violations in western Sudan.
What changes this picture is not more documentation but enforcement and political pressure. Signals to watch include any moves to tie sanctions or diplomatic engagement with RSF-linked figures to attacks on medical facilities, and whether UN or international investigative bodies formally integrate the El-Fasher hospital record into their case files.
Sources
- OSINT