MSF closes hospital as fighting displaces 400 families on Sudan–Chad border

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has closed its hospital in El Tina, the Chadian border town opposite Sudan’s North Darfur, after renewed fighting erupted across the frontier.

The organisation said in a statement published yesterday, it shut the facility on Saturday because of its proximity to the Sudanese town of El Tina, which has seen days of clashes.

Paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) briefly seized the town before Joint Forces, allied with the Sudanese Armed Forces, said they had repelled the RSF attack and regained control, on Sunday. Fighting continued in the area, with reports that the RSF took control of areas east of El Tina.

MSF has moved activities to a new, previously unused facility, where teams treated about 40 patients between Saturday and Sunday and prepared space for eight families. 

The charity also reduced staff numbers as security conditions deteriorated, warning that repeated attacks and displacement along the border endanger patients and health workers.

‘400 families newly displaced’

The Coordination Council of North Darfur Emergency Rooms reported that more than 400 families fled El Tina over the weekend to valleys and border areas, joining thousands already displaced.

Valley shelters now host around 2,000 families, while about 500 families have gathered in the Hamra area, placing severe pressure on scarce resources and basic services. 

Local responders report acute shortages of food, water, and healthcare, and have urged international and regional organisations to intervene urgently and secure safe corridors for aid delivery.

The El Tina Emergency Room said it has continued operating a communal kitchen for the eighth consecutive day, providing meals for children, patients, and displaced families during Ramadan, despite worsening shortages of food, water, and medical supplies.