Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) announced Friday it has suspended its operations at Bashair Hospital in southern Khartoum, one of the last functioning healthcare facilities in the area, following repeated attacks on staff and patients. The decision further strains access to medical care for residents of Sudan’s war-torn capital.
Since April 2023, Sudan has been engulfed in conflict between General al-Burhan’s forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a power struggle that derailed a planned civilian transition.
The violence has triggered one of the world’s most severe displacement and hunger crises.
Bashair Hospital, located in RSF-controlled territory, had been a critical lifeline, treating victims of frequent SAF airstrikes and addressing severe malnutrition among women and children in famine-risk neighborhoods.
Over the past 20 months, MSF teams worked alongside hospital staff and volunteers, serving more than 25,000 patients, including 9,000 wounded by blasts, gunfire, and other violence.
In a statement, MSF cited ongoing security threats as the reason for halting services. “Armed fighters have repeatedly entered the hospital with weapons, threatening staff and demanding priority treatment for their wounded. Despite extensive engagement with all parties, the attacks have persisted,” the organization said.
The hospital’s closure underscores the dire state of Sudan’s healthcare system, with up to 80% of hospitals in conflict zones shut down. Civilians face relentless air and artillery strikes, skyrocketing prices, and blocked aid supplies.
MSF detailed a recent incident in which an SAF airstrike near the hospital killed 12 people on-site and left dozens injured, overwhelming the emergency room with casualties.
The suspension marks another blow to Khartoum’s residents, who remain trapped in a city besieged by violence, hunger, and medical shortages.
