Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF, Doctors Without Borders) warned Friday that it may end operations in Sudan at a hospital in the capital, Khartoum, after 18 of its workers were “aggressively assaulted,” as the conflict entered its fourth month this week. MSF said the incident happened while the team was moving medical supplies from the organization’s warehouse to the Turkish Hospital in the Sudanese capital.
The medical aid group, commonly known by its French acronym MSF, said in a statement that on the afternoon of July 20, an MSF team of 18 people were stopped by a group of armed men while transporting medical supplies in the capital’s south.
“After arguing about the reasons for MSF’s presence, the armed men aggressively assaulted our team, physically beating and whipping them, as well as detaining the driver of one of our vehicles. The armed men threatened the driver’s life before releasing him. They then stole the vehicle”, the statement said.
Following the horrific incident, the humanitarian organization is warning that activities in the hospital are now in serious jeopardy, and MSF will not be able to continue to provide medical care if minimum safety guarantees are not met.
“In order to save people’s lives, the lives of our staff who are there to carry out this work must not be put at risk,” says Christophe Garnier, MSF’s emergencies manager for Sudan.
“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.”
The Turkish Hospital in southern Khartoum is one of the few hospitals still administering medical care in the country. The health system in Sudan is close to collapse. MSF is one of only a few international medical humanitarian organizations that are still present in the capital, supporting hospitals in east Khartoum and Omdurman, in addition to south Khartoum.
This latest incident happened just 700 meters away from the Turkish Hospital, where hundreds of patients – including children – are currently receiving treatment. MSF says it has treated over 1,600 war-wounded patients in Khartoum since the conflict began in April.
Garnier told VOA that the armed men who attacked the aid workers appeared drunk, and that it wasn’t clear which of Sudan’s warring parties they belonged to. He called on officials to avoid targeting humanitarian workers and civilians. Garnier said they are not a party to the conflict and “shouldn't be involved in the conflict,” urging all sides to guarantee the safety of aid workers and ensure access to vulnerable populations.
In response to the incident, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said Friday it is deeply concerned by ongoing attacks against aid and health care workers in Sudan. OCHA underscored that attacks on health care workers and facilities are a violation of international humanitarian law and must stop now.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has verified more than 50 attacks on health care facilities since the conflict erupted in Sudan on 15 April.
UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths warned recently that battle lines are hardening and urged a redoubling of efforts to ensure the conflict "does not spiral into a brutal and interminable civil war with grave consequences for the region." Griffiths said Sudan is now one of the world's most difficult places in which to operate for humanitarian workers.
Forces from the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been battling for control of the country since hostilities erupted more than three months ago. Sudanese authorities say thousands of people have been killed in the conflict.
Over three months into the conflict, heavy fighting between the SAF and RSF continues reportedly at the same pace with no signs of a possible resolution of the conflict or successful ceasefire after at least nine failed attempts. Reports indicate a deterioration of the situation and continuation of deadly attacks across Khartoum, Darfur, the three Kordofan states and Blue Nile state.
Since mid-April, more than 3.3 million people have been forced to flee, including more than 2.6 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) and more than 750,000 refugees, asylum seekers, returnees, and other foreign nationals, who have crossed the borders into neighboring countries.
The major hosting countries include the Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia and South Sudan. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), most of the people displaced in Sudan have fled from Khartoum state and Darfur region.
Humanitarian needs across the Sudan and in neighboring countries continue to rise as the situation deteriorates. The World Food Programme (WFP) said Friday that the war in Sudan is impacting hunger and migration across West and Central Africa, depleting scarce resources, further stressing the already underfunded humanitarian response, and worsening intercommunal tensions.
Following a visit to Chad, which is hosting some 260,000 people recently displaced from Sudan, WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain warned that the impact of war will be devastating for peace and stability in a region already struggling with climate extremes, insecurity and economic decline. The UN agency plans to reach 2 million refugees and vulnerable Chadians with emergency assistance, but cannot even assist half of them due to insufficient funds.
Humanitarian needs in Sudan were already at record levels before the situation deteriorated. The number of people in need of humanitarian aid stands now at 24.7 million people – more than half of Sudan’s population. Among them are 13 million children in urgent need of lifesaving humanitarian support.
Further information
Full text: Staff beatings, death threats jeopardise MSF’s presence in Khartoum hospital, MSF press release, July 21, 2023
https://www.msf.org/staff-beatings-death-threats-jeopardise-msf-presence-khartoum
Full text: Regional Sudan Response Situation Update, 18 July 2023, IOM, published July 19, 2023 https://reliefweb.int/report/sudan/regional-sudan-response-situation-update-18-july-2023