A Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) supported hospital in El Geneina, the capital of West Darfur, Sudan, has been looted.
There have been reports from El Geneina of widespread looting, destruction, and burning of property, including at camps where displaced people are living. Sylvain Perron, MSF deputy operations manager for Sudan, gave the following statement today.
"It is utterly unacceptable to see the El Geneina Teaching Hospital and other facilities under attack, being looted, and running out of staff and supplies. We are deeply concerned about the safety of healthcare staff, and our teams in West Darfur. Many people are trapped in the midst of this deadly violence. They fear risking their safety and lives trying to reach the rare health facilities that are still functional and open.
For years, MSF has been providing medical assistance to all communities in West Darfur, who have been frequently affected by violence and who otherwise have no access to healthcare.
In El Geneina Teaching Hospital, MSF managed the paediatric and nutrition inpatient departments, infection prevention control measures, and water and sanitation services. Over the years we have witnessed a steady stream of patients coming not just from El Geneina city and the nearest camps for displaced families, but from all over West Darfur."
The current fighting has forced us to stop almost all of our activities in West Darfur. Sylvain Perron, MSF deputy operations manager for Sudan
"The current fighting has forced us to stop almost all of our activities in West Darfur. Our teams have not been able to reach the hospital, nor have they been able conduct mobile clinic activities in the nomadic communities of Galala, Mogshasha, Wadi Rati and Gelchek. We have been able to continue providing services in Kreinik hospital, but we have seen a reduction in the number of patients coming from outside the town.
We are incredibly worried about the impact this violence is having on people who have already lived through waves of violence in the previous years. Violence prevents people from seeking the medical care they desperately need. The humanitarian and medical needs are immense.
Our teams in West Darfur are closely following the situation to ensure that we can safely continue to provide much-needed medical care and humanitarian assistance. We are ready to scale up our response to meet the growing needs. To do so, we need to be able to ensure the safety and security for all our staff and patients.
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We demand that all health facilities, including hospitals, clinics, warehouses, and ambulances, and their staff are respected and protected. We reiterate our calls to all parties to the conflict to avoid civilian areas and to spare civilian lives.
We urge them to immediately cease attacks on medical facilities and ensure that patients can receive the medical care they desperately need."
MSF-supported facilities continue to provide medical care in Sudan, in Kreinik, West Darfur, in Rokero, Central Darfur, in Um Rakuba and Tinedba, Gedaref state and in Damazin, Blue Nile State. In El Fasher, North Darfur state, an MSF-supported hospital continues to receive large numbers of wounded people. Our teams are working round the clock to treat the injured - 410 people have so far made it to the hospital for treatment, the only health facility operational in the city, and 55 conflict-related deaths have been recorded. Our compound and warehouse in Nyala was looted, which forced us to cease all activities in South Darfur.
