Sudan: Market explosion causes "scenes of devastation" at MSF-supported hospital
On the morning of 1 February, an RSF explosive hit a market in Omdurman, Khartoum state, Sudan, causing a scene of devastation at the MSF-supported Al Nao Hospital as patients, dead bodies and family members arrived at the hospital.
The Ministry of Health said the attack killed 54 people and injured 158. Medics working in Al Nao Hospital described a dreadful scene with men and women, young and old, being brought in for treatment.
"What I see in front of me is a scene of utter carnage, yet another tragic example of this relentless war on people"
MSF General Secretary Chris Lockyear was in Al Nao hospital as patients started arriving after this atrocious attack.
“I can see the lives of men, women and children torn apart with injured people lying in every possible space in the emergency room as medics do what they can. There are dozens and dozens of people with devastating injuries, the morgue is full of dead bodies.
What I see in front of me is a scene of utter carnage, yet another tragic example of this relentless war on people."
Background: MSF at Al Nao Hospital
The MSF-supported Al Nao Hospital is in Omdurman, Khartoum state, in an area controlled by the Sudanese Armed Forces.
Al Nao Hospital is the largest functioning public hospital remaining in Omdurman. MSF supports the hospital with donations of essential drugs and medical supplies, support for staff, technical support for logistics, water and sanitation, as well as food for patients. The support is focused on the emergency room, the 24/7 observation ward, and the operating theatre.
MSF works in 11 of Sudan’s 18 states, in areas controlled by both the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces.
MSF and the crisis in Sudan
On Saturday 15 April 2023, a brutal civil war broke out across Sudan with a wave of gunfire, shelling and airstrikes.
The violence between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has trapped millions of people in the middle of an unexpected conflict. Hundreds of thousands have been forced to flee their homes while access to essential services such as healthcare has become increasingly difficult.
Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders (MSF) teams already working in Sudan have been responding to the crisis since its first moments.