Al-Tina, November 17 (Darfur24)
The only hospital in the border town of Al-Tina, about 400 kilometers northwest of El Fasher in North Darfur, remains completely shut down for the second week following an armed raid that forced medical staff to flee to neighboring Chad.
Multiple sources and eyewitnesses told Darfur24 that armed men affiliated with the Sudan Founding Alliance stormed the rural hospital after dozens of casualties were brought in from a drone strike targeting a training center in the area.
The armed group allegedly interfered with medical procedures and threatened doctors and health workers, prompting the staff to halt all services and leave the town.
A medical worker who fled to Chad said that all medicines and medical equipment remain locked inside the Al-Tina hospital. He added that temporary outpatient clinics have been opened across the Chadian side of Al Tina, while nursing staff have been deployed to Mabrouka Hospital in Chad to continue providing emergency care.
“Services at Al-Tina Hospital used to cover the areas of Al-Tina, Karnoi, Ambro’s villages, and even residents from neighboring Chad,” the medical source said, warning that the closure has left tens of thousands without access to critical healthcare.
A Sudanese army officer in Al-Tina confirmed the closure, stating that repeated attacks and harassment by armed groups had forced doctors to abandon their posts. He said the army has appealed for medical personnel to return and promised to guarantee their safety, but so far, none have resumed work.
With the hospital shuttered, residents are now compelled to cross into Chad for even the most basic medical services, deepening the humanitarian crisis in a region already battered by conflict and displacement.