In Sudan, city’s last remaining hospital shelled: “We need support now”

AL FASHER, Sudan – A succession of five artillery shells struck Al-Saudi Maternity Hospital, the last remaining hospital in Al Fasher, on 13 October. The blasts injured 10 medical personnel and destroyed multiple departments, including the pharmacy, emergency department and referral clinic. The operating room, mental health department, and the hospital’s water and energy systems were also damaged.

“I was performing surgery in the hospital when heavy shelling occurred. A mortar hit the hospital. I was so worried because the woman’s wounds were open, and everyone was running around me,” Dr. Suhiba, a gynaecologist, told UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency.

Asma, 27, was in the middle of an antenatal appointment when a shell hit. “I was so scared. The glass from the windows shattered, and I was injured. But I was more scared for my baby,” she said. “The medical team took care of us.”

Medical staff under siege

Al Fasher, the capital city of North Darfur State, has been under siege for months – part of the roiling conflict that erupted in April 2023. 

Nationwide, the violence has displaced more than 10 million people. The country faces one of the world’s most severe nutrition crises, and sexual and reproductive health services have been seriously disrupted, factors which together place all pregnant women in the country at risk. 

Al Fasher is particularly affected. The city had previously held four public hospitals, a military hospital, a police hospital and two private hospitals; six of the eight hospitals provided maternity health services.

Today, Al-Saudi Maternity Hospital is the last one standing, and it is only partially functional.

The constant bombardments in Al Fasher have depleted medical supplies, and even before the 13 October attack, many of the hospital’s facilities had closed, leaving it struggling to serve a population of some 800,000 civilians. 

“Four of my team members were injured in the latest shelling,” said Ahlam Ibrahim, head of the hospital’s mental health department. The department supports survivors of gender-based violence, rates of which have skyrocketed amid the conflict.