World Medical Association Strongly Condemns the Massacre of Patients and Health Workers in Sudan

The World Medical Association (WMA) expresses its deepest outrage following reports of the massacre of more than 460 patients and their companions at the Saudi Maternity Hospital in El Fasher, North Darfur, Sudan. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), this latest attack, reportedly perpetrated by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), marks one of the deadliest assaults on a medical facility in recent history.

Since the start of the conflict in April 2023, WHO has verified 285 attacks on health care in Sudan, resulting in at least 1,204 deaths and more than 400 injuries among health workers and patients. The deliberate targeting of hospitals, health personnel and those seeking treatment constitutes a grave violation of international humanitarian law.

“Today’s horrific events in El Fasher defy every principle of medical ethics and human decency,” said  Dr. Jacqueline Kitulu, President of the World Medical Association. “When armed forces storm a maternity hospital and murder the sick, the injured and those caring for them, humanity itself is under attack. We call on all parties to the conflict in Sudan, and on the international community, to uphold the fundamental principles of medical neutrality and ensure that these crimes do not go unpunished.”

The WMA stands in full solidarity with Sudanese physicians, nurses, and other health professionals who continue to work under life-threatening conditions to save lives. The Association joins the WHO, UNICEF, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and other humanitarian partners in demanding an immediate and unconditional end to all attacks on health care, the protection of civilians and medical personnel, and full respect for the Geneva Conventions.

The WMA further urges the international community to intensify humanitarian support for those displaced by the violence in El Fasher and across Darfur. Thousands of civilians, including many children, have fled to Tawila, arriving dehydrated, injured and traumatized. Immediate humanitarian access and safe evacuation routes must be guaranteed to prevent further loss of life.

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