The RSF targeted the South Hospital in al-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur province, on Sunday, opening fire on medical staff and patients, reported Doctors Without Borders.
This attack coincides with the RSF’s intensified offensive to capture the city, the last stronghold of the military in the Darfur region.
Recent clashes over the past two weeks in and around al-Fasher have resulted in over 120 deaths.
In response, the military has allied with rebel groups to form a joint force aimed at retaining control of the city, which has become a refuge for hundreds of thousands of displaced people since the conflict began.
The attack by the RSF inside the hospital is particularly egregious, as staff and patients had already faced weeks of assaults from all sides, said Michel Lacharite, head of emergency operations at Doctors Without Borders. “Opening fire inside a hospital crosses a line,” he emphasized.
At the time of the incident, there were 10 patients and a reduced medical crew present because the aid group, along with the Sudanese health ministry, had begun evacuating patients and transferring medical services to other facilities last week.
Fortunately, most patients and the medical team, including Doctors Without Borders staff, managed to escape the shooting.
It remains unclear whether there were any casualties from the attack, the aid group noted.
Efforts to reach a spokesman for the RSF for comment were unsuccessful.
Between May 25 and June 3, the facility had been struck by mortar shells and bullets three times, resulting in the deaths of two people and injuries to 14 patients, according to Doctors Without Borders.
Amid escalating tensions, Sudan has plunged into conflict since April last year, with clashes erupting between military factions and the RSF across the nation, including the capital, Khartoum.
This protracted war has inflicted severe devastation, claiming over 14,000 lives and leaving thousands more wounded, while pushing the population to the brink of famine.
Highlighting the urgent humanitarian crisis, the U.N. food agency issued a stark warning to the warring factions last month, cautioning of the imminent threat of widespread starvation and fatalities in Darfur and other regions unless humanitarian aid is promptly allowed into the vast western territory.
Against the backdrop of this conflict, reports of rampant sexual violence and other heinous acts have surfaced, prompting the United Nations to condemn these atrocities as war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The RSF traces its roots back two decades when it emerged from Arab militias, known as Janjaweed, mobilized by former Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir to target populations of Central or East African descent in Darfur.
Accused of perpetrating mass killings, rapes, and other brutal acts, the Janjaweed’s actions led Darfur to be synonymous with genocide. Notably, Janjaweed groups continue to lend support to the RSF in the ongoing conflict.
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