Gunmen storm MSF-supported hospital in Khartoum

KHARTOUM – On October 10, two armed men entered the emergency room of Bashair Teaching Hospital in Khartoum, a facility supported by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), accompanying a wounded patient. Inside, they threatened Ministry of Health staff, forcing them to evacuate the ward.

A single gunshot was fired during the confrontation, though no one was injured. MSF confirmed that none of its staff were present at the time of the attack. The injured patient’s condition was stabilized before being transferred to another medical facility later that day. While the hospital’s emergency room reopened the following day, MSF stated that the medical staff remained in shock after the ordeal.

In response to the incident, MSF has reduced its medical presence at Bashair Hospital while awaiting firm security assurances from the Ministry of Health. Which, in coordination with the de facto local authorities, is working to restore safety at the facility. The organization emphasized that the attack underscores the extreme risks faced by Sudan’s health workers and the collapsing state of medical care across the country.

Since the outbreak of war in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), hospitals and clinics have increasingly become targets of violence. Dozens of facilities have been bombed, looted, or occupied by armed groups, with both warring sides accused of endangering patients and medical staff. In Khartoum, Eel Geneina, Nyala, and El Fasher, artillery and drone strikes have repeatedly hit medical centers, destroying critical infrastructure and driving humanitarian organizations to scale back or suspend operations.

The Sudanese Doctors’ Union reports that more than 70 percent of hospitals in conflict areas are out of service. Those still functioning operate under severe strain, short of supplies, fuel, and staff, while often treating large numbers of wounded civilians. Ambulances are obstructed or attacked, and medics risk their lives every day to deliver basic care. In several documented cases, soldiers have raided hospitals, assaulted doctors, or used the facilities for military purposes, in clear violation of international humanitarian law.

Bashair Hospital, one of the last functioning medical centers in Khartoum, has been a lifeline for civilians trapped in the capital’s war zones. The latest attack adds to the mounting fear among health workers who continue to serve under fire, struggling to save lives amid violence and scarcity. The assault on Bashair reflects not just the vulnerability of healthcare facilities but the broader collapse of civilian protection in Sudan’s devastating