Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières – MSF) has withdrawn its staff from a hospital in Central Darfur after a stretcher-bearer working with the local health ministry was shot dead outside the facility, the organization announced. MSF called on Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to ensure the safety of medical workers in the area.

The victim was killed on November 18 near Zalingei Hospital, where four others were also wounded, according to MSF. The hospital is located in RSF-controlled territory and far from the active frontlines of the ongoing conflict with the Sudanese army.

MSF Emergency Coordinator in Darfur, Mariam Laroussi, said in a statement sent to journalists that “no medical teams can resume humanitarian activities until the Rapid Support Forces guarantee safe conditions to protect staff and patients.”

RSF claims did not target civilians

For its part, the RSF denied targeting civilians and stated that any individual proven to have committed violations would be held accountable.

The organization operates the emergency room at Zalingei Hospital, performs surgeries, provides neonatal care, and treats infectious disease outbreaks such as measles and cholera. Last August, MSF temporarily halted activities at the same facility following a hand grenade explosion.

The suspension further exacerbates dire humanitarian conditions in Darfur, where civilians continue to suffer from limited access to lifesaving healthcare amid a worsening conflict marked by widespread violence and displacement.

RSF declares ceasefire, violates it

Late Monday, General Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, head of Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), announced that his forces would immediately enter a three-month humanitarian truce, following international efforts led by US President Donald Trump to end the conflict that has pushed Sudan toward famine.

Despite the RSF ceasefire declaration, clashes persist. On Monday, the Sudanese army repelled an RSF attack on Babnousa in West Kordofan, using heavy artillery, drones, and armored vehicles. A military source reported that the RSF suffered “significant losses in personnel and equipment.”

Babnousa has been under siege since January 2024, with the army supplying remaining troops as 177,000 civilians fled, according to local relief committees.

Current situation and humanitarian toll

The RSF now controls all five Darfur states, while the army retains most of the remaining 13 states, including Khartoum, home to the majority of Sudan’s population.

It is worth noting that Darfur constitutes about one-fifth of the country’s territory.

Since the conflict began in April 2023 over disagreements regarding the integration of Sudan’s army and RSF forces, the World Health Organization estimates that at least 40,000 people have been killed and 12 million displaced. The humanitarian crisis continues to worsen amid ongoing insecurity and population movements.