Khartoum / Brussels — Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) report that 16 per cent of patients treated for trauma at Bashair Teaching Hospital in south Khartoum since January 2024 are children under 15, according to their press statement released today. Many of these young patients have suffered gunshot, blast, and shrapnel wounds, sparking concerns over rising child casualties amid the ongoing conflict.
"These figures of violence and malnutrition show the nightmare people, including children, are experiencing in Khartoum, according to the MSF statement. Parties to the conflict must ensure civilians are protected. Medical supplies should be allowed to reach all hospitals in Sudan," said Claire San Filippo, MSF Emergency Coordinator.
MSF's medical teams, working alongside local staff, have treated over 4,200 patients for trauma injuries, with children making up a significant proportion. A leading MSF doctor in the hospital recounted the case of 18-month-old Riyad, who was struck by a stray bullet while napping at home. After four hours of surgery, doctors managed to stabilise him, though the bullet remains lodged in his chest, and the hospital's limited resources make further treatment uncertain.
The hospital has faced severe limitations since October 2023, with blockages on medical supply shipments leaving it unable to treat serious injuries like burns. Mass casualty incidents have become more frequent, with 30 patients rushed to the hospital in a single day following a market explosion. 12 of them were children.
MSF also reported a disturbing rise in acute malnutrition, particularly among children and pregnant women. Of the 4,186 individuals screened for malnutrition, over 1,500 were severely malnourished.
Bashair Teaching Hospital
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) confirmed that on 11 November 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, though they remain traumatised. The hospital's emergency ward sustained significant damage.
In response, MSF partially suspended activities at the hospital, continuing only lifesaving procedures and halting non-critical patient admissions. The duration of the suspension remains unclear.
MSF is in discussions with all relevant parties to investigate the attack and secure guarantees that the hospital will be respected as a weapons-free zone. The organisation expressed concern that the attackers were likely members of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), highlighting ongoing violations of MSF's principles of neutrality and impartiality.
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"We remind all belligerents that MSF is neutral and our medical teams do not discriminate based on race, religion, gender, or political orientation," MSF stated.
MSF has been operating in Bashair Teaching Hospital since May 2023, which remains one of the few functional medical facilities in South Khartoum. Since February 2024, MSF has been unable to bring international staff to the area, relying on Sudanese staff to run the hospital.
'Death toll underestimated'
Last week, Dabanga reported that a new study from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine's Sudan Research Group revealed that the death toll in Sudan's ongoing war is far higher than earlier estimates, with over 61,000 deaths recorded in Khartoum state alone.
Since the conflict began in April 2023, 26,000 people have been killed by violence, while the rest died from preventable diseases and starvation as Sudan's healthcare and food systems collapsed.
The study shows Khartoum's death toll is more than three times the UN's earlier estimate of 20,000 fatalities nationwide. Dr Maysoon Dahab, the lead researcher, said: "Over 90 per cent of deaths in Khartoum have gone unrecorded. This suggests that the true scale of deaths across Sudan is far higher than we can currently quantify."
She added, "Sudan's war is not just a single conflict; it's multiple wars within one." The report also highlights higher death rates in Darfur and Kordofan, where ethnic cleansing has been reported.
