El Fasher, October 29 (Darfur24)
Civilians fleeing El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur State, said on Tuesday that the fate of patients inside homes and health facilities remains unknown following the Rapid Support Forces’ (RSF) takeover of the city.
The RSF seized the headquarters of the army’s 6th Infantry Division on Saturday, ending 18 months of intense fighting that left widespread destruction across the city.
Displaced residents who managed to reach nearby towns described a catastrophic humanitarian and health situation, saying dozens of wounded and sick people had died inside homes and medical centers.
Mohammed Ahmed Musa, one of the displaced who arrived in Mellit, about 65 kilometers north of El Fasher, told Darfur24 that many patients were left behind at the Saudi Hospital when RSF forces entered the First Class neighborhood west of the city.
He said medical staff and relatives fled in panic, abandoning patients in their rooms.
Musa also reported that armed men stormed the Sudanese Red Crescent headquarters in the same neighborhood, located behind the Transitional Authority building, and forced medical staff into vehicles before taking them to an unknown location.