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WHO and HRW Expose the Scale of Violations in El Fasher

Moatinoon
The World Health Organization (WHO) has condemned the killing of more than 460 patients and their companions, and the abduction of six health workers on October 28 from the Saudi Maternity Hospital in El Fasher, while Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported yesterday that dozens of videos shared on social media in recent days show Rapid Support Forces (RSF) executing extrajudicial killings and committing other grave abuses against people fleeing the city — the capital of North Darfur.

In a statement issued yesterday, the WHO said the latest tragedy comes amid a rapidly worsening crisis in El Fasher, where escalating violence, siege conditions, hunger, and disease are claiming civilian lives, including children, and leading to the collapse of an already fragile health system.

The statement noted that the Saudi Maternity Hospital, the only partially functioning hospital in El Fasher, has been attacked four times this month, resulting in the death of a nurse and the injury of three other health workers. On October 28, six health workers — four doctors, a nurse, and a pharmacist — were abducted, and on the same day, over 460 patients and companions were shot dead inside the hospital.

According to the WHO, 46 health workers have been killed in El Fasher since the start of the conflict, including the Director of Primary Health Care at the state Ministry of Health, while 48 others have been injured. The status of staff from three NGOs in the city remains unknown.

The WHO called for an immediate cessation of hostilities in El Fasher and across Sudan, the protection of civilians and humanitarian and health workers, and the unhindered, safe, and rapid delivery of life-saving humanitarian aid.

Meanwhile, Federico Borello, Acting Executive Director at Human Rights Watch, said:

“The horrific images emerging from El Fasher epitomize the Rapid Support Forces’ long record of mass atrocities. If the world fails to act urgently, civilians will bear the brunt of even more heinous crimes. RSF backers, particularly the United Arab Emirates, should pressure its leaders to rein in their troops, while world leaders must take strong measures against RSF leadership.”

Human Rights Watch urged the United Nations Security Council to act swiftly to prevent further atrocities, and called on U.S., Saudi, Egyptian, and Emirati officials — the Quad countries who recently met in Washington, D.C. — to make it clear that RSF leadership will be held accountable, including through immediate asset freezes and travel bans.

HRW said it had geolocated eight videos filmed near the earthen barrier surrounding the city, about 8 kilometers northwest of El Fasher. One video, shot from atop the barrier, shows dozens of bodies, some in military uniforms, lying in a trench below.

In another video, an RSF fighter wearing a white scarf kneels beside a civilian man with a bandage on his upper right leg, lying on the ground. As the man pleads for mercy, the fighter says:

“I will not spare you… We are here to kill.”
He then stands and fires five rounds from an AK rifle, killing the man.

Another video recorded near the same earthen barrier captures an RSF fighter shouting:

“We will give no guarantees to prisoners.”