Medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has reported a disturbing incident in Sudan’s capital, where armed men attacked a convoy of medics, subjecting them to beatings and whippings.
The attack occurred while the medical team was en route to the Turkish Hospital located in the southern part of Khartoum on Thursday. During the assault, one of their vehicles was stolen.
Amidst the ongoing war that began in mid-April, only two hospitals remain operational in the southern part of the city. These hospitals, crucial for providing medical care to the affected population, are supported by MSF.
However, the violent power struggle between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) over the past three months has wreaked havoc on medical facilities in the city.
This recent attack not only endangers the lives and well-being of the medical staff but also poses a threat to the aid and support provided by MSF to these essential healthcare facilities.
Since April, over three million people across Sudan have been displaced from their homes, leaving them in dire circumstances. While many have fled the country, millions of others are still in Khartoum, facing immense challenges in accessing medical assistance and essential medicines.
In this critical situation, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) stands as one of the few international aid organizations that continue to support hospitals in Khartoum and Omdurman.
These hospitals have been operating under immense strain for decades. Despite the challenges, MSF has treated more than 1,600 patients in these facilities since the conflict began.
However, the charity is now facing the possibility of halting its crucial medical support due to a significant deterioration in security. Recent incidents have seen their staff being targeted, posing serious risks to their ability to continue their life-saving work.
In one such alarming incident on Thursday, armed men engaged in an altercation with an MSF convoy consisting of 18 people and four trucks carrying medical supplies.
During the encounter, the assailants not only assaulted the MSF team but also threatened the life of one of the drivers. Eventually, they made off with one of the vehicles, further complicating the already precarious situation.
The escalating security threats are jeopardizing the healthcare system’s survival in the region, leaving millions vulnerable and in urgent need of assistance.
“If an incident like this happens again, and if our ability to move supplies continues to be obstructed, then, regrettably, our presence in the Turkish Hospital will soon become untenable,” MSF’s Christophe Garnier said in a statement.
The confrontation took place not far from the hospital, where hundreds of patients, including those recently wounded in air strikes, are undergoing treatment.
“On a daily basis, this hospital receives around 15 war wounded patients, carries out lifesaving surgery and keeps patients with chronic diseases alive,” MSF said.
According to the AFP news agency, the hospital is in an area of the city controlled by the RSF.
Aerial bombardments have intensified in residential areas of Khartoum where the paramilitary fighters have their bases, it says.
Official figures put the number of dead in the conflict at around 3,000, but it is thought to be far higher.
Some estimates from the western region of Darfur, which have seen the worst of the violence, say the death toll in one city alone is 11,000.