In brief
A new BBC inquiry shows the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) deliberately bombed and shelled Sudanese hospitals during the 2023–2025 siege of El‑Fasher in Darfur. Over 43 separate assaults on medical sites were recorded, killing 55 workers, injuring 120 and forcing 10 to disappear. UN and WHO officials warned the attacks violate international humanitarian law and may amount to war crimes. The RSF denies the allegations, claiming retaliation against armed forces, while White‑House‑backed surgeons have documented use of hospitals as military bases. The investigation continues as civilians suffer amid a mounting humanitarian crisis.
The BBC’s latest research confirms that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) carried out a campaign of targeted killings against care facilities in the western Sudan city of El‑Fasher from May 2024 to October 2025. 43 separate attacks were logged, including air strikes, shelling and drone hits that severely damaged or destroyed hospitals, clinics and a dialysis centre.
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk called the findings "deeply disturbing" and said the assaults could amount to war crimes. 55 medical workers were killed, 120 injured and 10 forcibly disappeared, the BBC data shows.
While the RSF denies the allegations, citing that hospitals housed fighters, they maintained a narrative of retaliation against the National Army. Dr Muhamed Suliman, a surgeon who worked in El‑Fasher during the siege, said: "The RSF was trying to evacuate the hospitals to stop civilian benefit" and that the attacks were "deliberate and planned".
Earlier in the conflict, the World Health Organization condemned the bombing of al‑Daein Hospital in RSF‑held eastern Darfur. The WHO also noted that the systematic targeting of health facilities in El‑Fasher represents "one of the clearest and most severe examples" of the war’s impact on healthcare.
Reports from Médecins Sans Frontières and independent witnesses describe a pattern of repeated strikes even after staff relocated new medical wards. On 15 March 2025 a hunting drone killed nine patients moving to a temporary operating theatre; and in August a donkey cart transporting patients was struck by a drone.
Following the RSF seizure in October 2025, the Saudi Hospital became the last functioning medical site in El‑Fasher. The RSF‑backed government now asserts that previously‑abducted doctors have been "freed" and that the hospitals are operating again, though international observers warn that the damage to the medical infrastructure is irreversible.
