STATEMENT: Mass casualty at MSF-supported hospital following RSF attacks in Omdurman, Sudan
On the morning of 1 February, an explosive by the Sudanese paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) hit a market in Omdurman, Khartoum state, causing a scene of devastation at the Al Nao hospital as patients, dead bodies and family members arrived at the hospital supported by Doctors Without Borders (MSF).
The Ministry of Health said the attack killed 54 people and injured 158. Medics working in Al Nao hospital described a dreadful scene with men and women, young and old, being brought in for treatment.
MSF General Secretary Chris Lockyear was in Al Nao hospital as patients started arriving after this atrocious attack.
“I can see the lives of men, women and children torn apart with injured people lying in every possible space in the emergency room as medics do what they can. There are dozens and dozens of people with devastating injuries, the morgue is full of dead bodies. What I see in front of me is a scene of utter carnage, yet another tragic example of this relentless war on people.”
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Notes for editors:
- The MSF supported Al Nao hospital is in Omdurman, Khartoum state, in an area controlled by the Sudanese Armed Forces.
- Al Nao Hospital is the largest functioning public hospital remaining in Omdurman. MSF supports the hospital with donations of essential drugs and medical supplies, incentives for staff, technical support for logistic, water and sanitation as well as food for patients. The support is focused on the emergency room, the 24/7 observation ward, and the operation theatre.
- MSF works in 11 of Sudan’s 18 states, in areas controlled by both Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces.
Jane Rabothata
Communications Specialist, Doctors Without Borders
