SUDAN: The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia reportedly killed hundreds of civilians at the main hospital in el-Fasher, days after capturing the Sudanese city, according to the UN’s health chief.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, head of the World Health Organization, described the reported killing of 460 people at Saudi Hospital as “appalling and deeply shocking.”

Earlier, the Sudan Doctors’ Network stated that RSF fighters “cold-bloodedly killed everyone inside the hospital, including patients, companions, and anyone present,” though it did not provide casualty figures.

The network added that medical facilities in the city had been “transformed into human slaughterhouses.”

The RSF has also been accused of abducting six medical personnel—four doctors, a pharmacist, and a nurse—and reportedly demanding ransoms exceeding $150,000 for their release.

The el-Fasher Resistance Committee, a local activist group, confirmed the hospital attack, describing an aftermath of “horrifying silence.”

El-Fasher had been the army’s last stronghold in Darfur before its capture by the RSF on Sunday, following an 18-month siege marked by starvation and heavy bombardment.

Since the conflict began in April 2023, the RSF and allied Arab militias have faced allegations of targeting non-Arab ethnic groups, which they deny.

With roughly 250,000 people still trapped in el-Fasher—many from non-Arab communities—UN agencies and aid organizations have raised alarm over their safety. A communications blackout has made independent verification extremely difficult.

BBC Verify analyzed new social media videos showing RSF fighters executing unarmed civilians in the past few days.
Refugees who reached Tawila, about 60 km west of el-Fasher, described extreme violence, beatings, and ransoms demanded along their escape routes. Some captives were reportedly executed.

Jan Egeland, former senior UN humanitarian official, called the situation “catastrophic” and “the biggest humanitarian emergency on Earth,” citing prolonged deprivation, starvation, and lack of medical care.

Before the hospital massacre, WHO had verified 185 attacks on health facilities in the conflict, resulting in 1,204 deaths.

Tedros urged an immediate and unconditional halt to all attacks on healthcare, emphasizing protection under international humanitarian law.

The capture of el-Fasher leaves the RSF in control of most of Darfur and much of Kordofan, while the Sudanese army holds Khartoum, central regions, and areas along the Red Sea, effectively dividing the country.