Investigation reports dozens of attacks on hospitals in El-Fasher
A BBC investigation describes the prolonged destruction of medical care in the Sudanese city.
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Hospitals and other medical facilities in the Sudanese city of El-Fasher were attacked at least 43 times, according to a new BBC investigation. The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) reject the allegations and call them propaganda by the Sudanese army.
The investigation maps attacks on medical facilities between May 2024 and October 2025, the period during which El-Fasher was under prolonged siege and was ultimately captured by the RSF. According to the researchers, dozens of healthcare workers were killed, while others were injured or disappeared.
The BBC draws on conversations with doctors and other people involved, visual material and additional analysis. According to the investigation’s summary, hospitals were repeatedly shelled, looted or closed after healthcare workers and patients were no longer safe.
The RSF denies the allegations. A representative of the paramilitary movement says that some hospitals were used by the army for military purposes. According to the available summary, the investigation found no independent confirmation of that justification.
The World Health Organisation describes the broader situation in Sudan as a severe collapse of healthcare. Since the outbreak of the war in April 2023, more than two-thirds of the main hospitals in affected areas have, according to the WHO, become non-functional or been threatened by shortages and attacks.
The new findings are not a judicial determination of individual guilt. UN officials do say, however, that attacks on medical facilities could constitute war crimes. Independent verification remains difficult because of limited access to El-Fasher and the ongoing conflict.
For civilians in Darfur, the disappearance of hospitals may mean that wounded people, pregnant women and those with treatable illnesses can receive hardly any help. The WHO also warns of food shortages, infectious diseases and further displacement. The Netherlands and other European countries have an interest in humanitarian access and international accountability, but the security situation makes the provision of direct assistance more difficult.
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- A BBC investigation reports at least 43 attacks on medical facilities in El-Fasher.
- The RSF denies the allegations.
- The WHO reports a broad collapse of Sudan’s healthcare system.
Left
Arguments Emphasises the protection of hospitals, international aid and the prosecution of parties to the conflict that attack medical care.
Values Humanitarian protection, equality and international law.
Consequences Fears that looking away will deepen the healthcare crisis and calls for more humanitarian funding and pressure on external supporters of armed groups.
Centre
Arguments Seeks independent verification, safe humanitarian corridors and a diplomatic approach that does not put aid efforts at further risk.
Values Factuality, proportionality and institutional cooperation.
Consequences Warns that political condemnations without access to the area offer little protection, but that doing nothing is equally unacceptable.
Right
Arguments Emphasises the accountability of armed groups and the need to stop external financing and arms supplies.
Values Security, order and responsibility for perpetrators.
Consequences Fears that aid without oversight will be abused by the parties to the conflict and supports targeted sanctions and stricter enforcement.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The current publication and the broader healthcare crisis are supported by the sources used. Contradictory statements by the RSF are attributed as claims and are not presented as established fact.
- confirmed The BBC investigation documents at least 43 attacks on medical facilities in El-Fasher. — Summary of the investigation published on 23 October. source
- confirmed The RSF rejects the allegations and calls them propaganda. — Account of the response from an RSF health official. source
- confirmed More than two-thirds of the main hospitals in affected areas are non-functional or under threat. — WHO overview of Sudan’s healthcare crisis. source
- uncertain The attacks could potentially constitute war crimes. — Legal classification requires independent investigation and assessment; this is therefore phrased cautiously. source
Editor's note
The publication of the investigation is current, but the attacks described took place mainly between 2024 and 2025. The figures come from the BBC investigation; the RSF disputes them and independent verification is limited by the war.Sources
- BBC: El Fasher hospitals were systematically destroyed by RSF fighters during the siege of the city — BBC, weergegeven door Tafs
- Sudan emergency — World Health Organization
- Public Health Situation Analysis - Sudan Conflict and Complex Emergency — World Health Organization
More on this in Dutch media
- NOS — „sudan el-fasher”
- Het Parool — „sudan el-fasher”
- Trouw — „sudan el-fasher”