A Reuters investigation, based on data and interviews, has revealed that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) conducted a systematic campaign to dismantle and destroy the healthcare system in Al-Fashir, the capital of North Darfur state in western Sudan.
Reuters reported that the investigation included interviews with more than 12 doctors, relief workers, and residents of Sudan, as well as satellite imagery.
The investigation found that the campaign began in the spring of last year and escalated as the RSF seized control of the city. Patients were tracked by drones, doctors were executed, and hospitals were bombed over the past 18 months.
Data showed that healthcare facilities in North Darfur had been attacked, damaged, and their operations disrupted at least 130 times since the war began. The investigation attributed at least 71% of these incidents to the RSF and 3% to the Sudanese Armed Forces.
At least 40 healthcare workers have been killed, according to the data.
In response to Reuters’ questions, a senior Sudanese army official denied reports of army attacks on medical facilities, stating that “the army was defending citizens in Al-Fashir before the RSF entered, as it is the army’s duty anywhere in Sudan.”
Three doctors told Reuters that the Saudi Hospital in Al-Fashir faced intense attacks after becoming the city’s last functioning hospital over a year ago. The assaults escalated from artillery shelling to drone strikes, with near-daily bombardments in recent months.
Seven paramedics and three other sources said RSF drones chased healthcare workers. Doctors were forced to operate in trenches and homes. Ambulances were destroyed, forcing injured civilians to be transported using handcarts or donkey carts, while drones pursued them and targeted clinics upon arrival.
