Sudan’s Bashair Hospital on ‘open-ended strike’ following RSF attack

Medical and labour staff at Bashair Hospital in southern Khartoum went on an open-ended strike on Thursday, following an attack by a member of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) who opened fire inside the hospital a day prior. A similar incident led Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders/MSF) to suspend its activities at the hospital on January 10.

The Southern Belt* Emergency Room issued a statement yesterday confirming the strike. “The management of Bashair Hospital regretfully informs you that the medical staff and workers at the hospital have entered into an open strike starting today, Thursday, January 23, 2025, following the unfortunate incident that occurred yesterday afternoon, Wednesday, when a member of the RSF opened fire inside the surgical emergency department”, the statement reads.

The strike will not impact the kidney dialysis department or the therapeutic nutrition department for children and pregnant women. Additionally, patients will only be received through the hospital’s eastern gate.

The hospital administration raised the alarm over the safety of 250 pregnant women in Khartoum’s Southern Belt, citing the suspension of caesarean sections and medical care for expectant mothers.

The Southern Belt Emergency Room condemned the shooting as part of a pattern of attacks on healthcare facilities. The statement highlighted the severe disruption to health services, especially the closure of critical departments like surgical emergency, and stressed the heightened risk to both medical workers and patients. It called on relevant authorities to take immediate measures to protect medical personnel, secure hospitals, and ensure the continuity of healthcare services without fear of violence.

MSF suspension

On January 10, MSF announced it had suspended all medical activities at Bashair Teaching Hospital, located in an area controlled by the RSF. It said the decision came after a series of violent attacks targeting doctors, patients, and hospital staff, which persisted “despite extensive engagements with all stakeholders”.

In the early days of the war, on April 18, 2023, the building was ‘particularly damaged’ when it was hit by a stray missile. 

In October 2023, MSF temporarily suspended all surgical operations at Bashair Hospital due to restrictions placed by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), which prevented surgical supplies and staff from reaching the hospital for over a year.

On November 11, 2024, armed fighters entered Bashair Teaching Hospital in South Khartoum and opened fire inside the facility. One fighter being treated was killed, while MSF staff escaped unharmed, “although our team remains deeply traumatised”. The hospital’s emergency ward sustained significant damage.

Despite MSF’s withdrawal, volunteers have continued to manage the hospital’s emergency operations. However, ongoing power outages and a severe shortage of fuel are threatening the hospital’s ability to function. Mohamed Abdallah, Bashair hospital’s administrative director, told Radio Dabanga that the hospital’s generator “consumes four barrels of fuel per day at a cost 5 billion Sudanese Pounds (SDG), which is increasingly difficult to sustain”.

* Khartoum’s Southern Belt is part of the periphery of the capital inhabited by people earlier displaced by wars in Darfur, Kordofan, and Blue Nile region and South Sudanese refugees, and by impoverished farmers from various parts of the country who lost their lands to banks.