Members of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have carried out a drone attack against a medical center in Um Darfa, in the Sudanese state of Blue Nile, which has left two members of the healthcare staff seriously injured, according to the NGO Sudan Doctors Network.
The organization details that the offensive took place on Sunday and resulted in the "destruction of the hospital," which has been completely out of service. This closure represents a severe blow to the local population, which was already facing "a very difficult humanitarian and health situation," according to the statement released by the NGO.
In light of these events, the Sudan Doctors Network demands an end to attacks on health centers and calls for action from the UN, as well as from other humanitarian organizations and human rights defenders, to condemn this "crime," ensure a safe environment for health infrastructures and their staff, and guarantee that those responsible for these aggressions are brought to justice.
The civil war in Sudan began in April 2023, following the clash between the Armed Forces and the paramilitary group RSF over their integration into the regular Army, which derailed the political transition initiated after the overthrow in 2019 of the regime of Omar Hassan al-Bashir. This process was already weakened after the coup that removed from power the then Prime Minister, Abdalla Hamdok, the first democratically elected leader in the country in decades.
The conflict, in which various countries are participating in support of the opposing sides, has plunged Sudan into one of the worst humanitarian crises on the planet. Millions of people have been forced to displace or flee as refugees, while international concern grows over the spread of diseases and the damage suffered by essential infrastructures, which prevent care for hundreds of thousands of affected individuals.