Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has called for tighter security measures at Zalingei Teaching Hospital in Central Darfur, including the removal of commercial stalls surrounding the facility and Starlink satellite internet networks operating inside it.
The requests were raised during a meeting between representatives of MSF’s Spanish branch and Major General Mohamed Adam al-Banjous, a Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commander in Central Darfur, according to the state’s civil administration.
The discussions focused on improving coordination, protecting medical personnel and ensuring humanitarian teams can operate safely across the region.
According to the civil administration’s media office, MSF reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Zalingei Teaching Hospital and other healthcare facilities providing emergency treatment, paediatric services and responses to infectious disease outbreaks, including measles.
The organisation also called for the implementation of existing security agreements with the state’s security committee to address obstacles affecting its medical operations.
MSF representatives stressed the importance of protecting healthcare workers and ensuring safe movement between areas where the organisation operates, including Zalingei, Wadi Salih, Mukjar and North Jebel Marra, the administration said.
Al-Banjous welcomed the organisation’s humanitarian activities and acknowledged the RSF’s responsibility for protecting healthcare facilities, medical workers and humanitarian operations.
He also encouraged closer coordination between MSF and RSF authorities to facilitate the movement of medical teams and ensure their safety.
The discussions follow repeated security incidents affecting Zalingei Teaching Hospital, one of the most important medical facilities serving communities in Central Darfur.
In August 2025, MSF suspended operations at the hospital after an armed confrontation and grenade explosion left one person dead and five others injured.
The organisation subsequently resumed activities but was forced to withdraw most of its personnel again in November 2025 following another shooting outside the hospital that killed a healthcare worker.
MSF has repeatedly emphasised that medical facilities must remain protected from violence and that humanitarian organisations require credible security guarantees to operate.
The latest security discussions come as healthcare services across Darfur face severe pressure from Sudan’s prolonged conflict, disease outbreaks and declining international humanitarian funding.
In September, MSF reported that 45 primary healthcare centres in Central Darfur had lost external support during May because of funding shortages, increasing pressure on the remaining operational hospitals.
Zalingei Teaching Hospital remains a vital provider of emergency and specialist medical services for communities struggling with the consequences of more than three years of war.
