A pharmacist was killed on Friday night following an artillery attack by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on the pharmacy of Saudi Hospital in El-Fasher city, the capital of North Darfur State.
The hospital is supported by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) – one of the few international humanitarian organisations still present in the city.
A local journalist, who preferred to remain anonymous, identified the deceased as Amna Ahmed Bakhit.
“The RSF shelled the Saudi Hospital for Women and Obstetrics in El-Fasher on Friday night with heavy artillery, resulting in the death of Dr Amna Ahmed Bakhit, the pharmacist responsible for the night shift. The attack also destroyed the pharmacy,” the journalist told Radio Tamazuj.
The journalist added that the Saudi Hospital is the only facility currently receiving surgical and injury cases in El-Fasher, following the shutdown of the South Hospital.
Separately, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) warns that hospitals continue to be attacked, and that no outside help can reach the city due to the intensity of the violence.
In a Saturday statement, MSF confirmed the incident and said the pharmacist was killed while on her shift, and the pharmacy building was damaged.
Although the hospital remains open and is still treating patients, it has been damaged and is only partially functional. More supplies are urgently needed to continue to treat the wounded, and a further attack is feared due to the continued fighting close by.
The humanitarian organization said one person was killed just 200 metres away from the hospital and a third person was killed close to MSF’s staff accommodation. The total number of people injured on Friday is not known.
“In El Fasher we are seeing a cycle of offensives and counterattacks where hospitals are not being spared and the warring parties are failing in their responsibilities to protect civilians,” said Michel-Olivier Lacharité, head of MSF’s emergency operations.
“Since the fighting began six weeks ago, over 260 people have been killed and over 1,630 wounded – these figures include women and children. We do not know if hospitals are being deliberately targeted, but their protection is an imperative that must be respected. Civilians are trapped and cannot leave. Their lives must be protected and they must be able to receive treatment if they need it,” Michael-Olivier added.