Cape Town/Geneva, Oct 25, (dpa/GNA) – The head of the World Health Organization (WHO), has expressed shock at reports that more than 460 patients and family members, were killed in a maternity hospital, following the capture of the Sudanese city of al-Fashir by a militia.
“All patients, health personnel and health facilities must be protected under International Humanitarian Law,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus wrote on X on Wednesday.
The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia gained control of the city in the Darfur region over the weekend.
According to the Sudanese Doctors’ Network, at least 1,500 unarmed civilians were killed while trying to flee. There are videos showing dozens of unarmed men being shot.
The doctors accuse the RSF of genocide of the country’s non-Arab population. Genocide is defined as the deliberate and systematic destruction of a group based on its nationality, ethnicity or religion, either in whole or in part.
The RSF claims that it wanted to protect civilians in al-Fashir, and provide safe corridors for those who wanted to leave.
Since April 2023, the East African country has been embroiled in a bloody power struggle between de facto ruler Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his former deputy, Mohammed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the RSF.
In Darfur, the main issue is competition for land and water between traditionally nomadic Arab ethnic groups and sedentary non-Arab communities.
An estimated 300,000 civilians live in al-Fashir, which was besieged by the RSF for more than 500 days.
Experts have criticized Western governments for not imposing sanctions on states supporting the rebel militia, including the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The UAE denies any interference in the conflict. However, the Wall Street Journal has cited US intelligence sources as saying that it is supplying weapons to the RSF.
GNA