{"id":20089974,"date":"2024-06-23T12:32:00","date_gmt":"2024-06-23T10:32:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dabangasudan.org\/?p=20089974"},"modified":"2024-06-23T16:42:16","modified_gmt":"2024-06-23T14:42:16","slug":"msf-protection-needed-for-el-fasher-hospitals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dabangasudan.org\/en\/all-news\/article\/msf-protection-needed-for-el-fasher-hospitals","title":{"rendered":"MSF: ‘Protection needed for El Fasher hospitals’"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Ongoing attacks on hospitals continue to prevent external assistance from reaching the North Darfur capital of El Fasher due to the intensity of the violence. M\u00e9decins Sans Fronti\u00e8res (MSF)  has called on the warring parties to protect civilians and hospitals and to provide safe access to the area to ensure that they can continue to offer assistance.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement<\/a> yesterday, MSF reported that on Friday 21, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) shelled the pharmacy of the MSF-supported Saudi Hospital in the city.. This attack resulted in the death of a pharmacist and caused damage to the building.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although the hospital remains open and continues to treat patients, it is only partially operational due to the damage sustained. More supplies are urgently needed to treat the wounded, amid fears of further attacks as fighting continues near the hospital. On Thursday, one person was killed just 200 metres from the hospital, and another died near the MSF staff residence, however, the total number of injured from Friday\u2019s violence remains unknown says the INGO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Constant Battles<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Battles continue between the warring parties\u2014the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the joint forces of the armed struggle movements that signed the Juba Agreement on one side, and the RSF on the other\u2014nine days after the United Nations Security Council<\/a> (UNSC) called for an end to the fighting in El Fasher, Sudan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Michel Olivier LaCharit\u00e9, MSF\u2019s head of emergency operations, stated: \u201cIn El Fasher, we are witnessing a series of attacks and counterattacks that do not exclude hospitals. Warring parties are failing in their responsibilities to protect civilians.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Casualties and Impact<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to MSF, more than 260 people have been killed and 1,630 injured since the fighting began six weeks ago, including women and children. MSF is one of the few international humanitarian organisations still operating in El Fasher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018We do not know if hospitals are being deliberately targeted, but their protection is an imperative that must be respected\u2026\u2019<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

LaCharit\u00e9 added: \u201cWe do not know if hospitals are being deliberately targeted, but their protection is an imperative that must be respected. Civilians are trapped and cannot leave. Their lives must be protected, and they must be able to receive treatment if they need it\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is the second time Saudi hospital has been impacted since the fighting began, and the eighth time a hospital has been hit in the city over the past six weeks\u201d, LaCharit\u00e9 explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two weeks ago, the Ministry of Health was forced to close the Southern Hospital<\/a> after it was attacked for the fifth time. Prior to that, the hospital was forced to close due to damage caused by a SAF airstrike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a result, the continued operation of this formerly specialised maternity hospital, that has become the only health facility capable of providing surgical services and treating the wounded in the city, is also under threat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

LaCharit\u00e9 stressed the urgent need for more supplies and staff to respond to the crisis, but noted that the ongoing fighting is preventing them from doing so. He called on the warring parties to protect civilians and hospitals and to provide safe access to the area so they can continue to provide life-saving assistance to the population in El Fasher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Edem Wosornu, OCHA\u2019s Director of Operations and Advocacy, who recently briefed the UNSC<\/a> on the humanitarian situation in Sudan, stated: \u201cIn less than four months, this is the sixth time we have briefed this Council on the humanitarian emergency in Sudan. The 12th time since the conflict broke out in April 2023. Each time, we have warned about the relentless deterioration of conditions for people in most parts of the country. Today, I regret to inform you that Sudan continues to spiral into chaos\u201d.<\/p>\n