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RSF must protect health facilities and staff following death of health worker in Central Darfur
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25 November 2025
Khartoum - Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is mourning the death of a Ministry of Health colleague at Zalingei hospital in Central Darfur state, Sudan on 18 November. We call once again for the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to guarantee the protection of health facilities and staff.
MSF extends our deepest condolences to the family of the Ministry of Health stretcher-bearer who was killed in the shooting outside Zalingei hospital, which also left four people wounded. Following this incident, and for the second time this year, we have been forced to withdraw staff from Zalingei hospital to ensure the safety of our teams.
"Our teams cannot resume humanitarian activities until the Rapid Support Forces guarantee safe conditions to protect staff and patients," says Myriam Laaroussi, MSF emergency coordinator in Darfur. "It is unacceptable for armed confrontations to affect medical facilities and humanitarian aid."
Our teams cannot resume humanitarian activities until the Rapid Support Forces guarantee safe conditions to protect staff and patients. Myriam Laaroussi, MSF emergency coordinator in Darfur
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At Zalingei hospital, MSF teams provide critical services and support, including in the emergency room, surgery, paediatrics, emergency obstetrics, newborn care, and inpatient departments, as well as in isolation tents for treating measles and cholera outbreaks.
Since 18 November, MSF has maintained continuous, active engagement with the Ministry of Health, community members, security agencies and different authorities to work on the protection status of the hospital. During the withdrawal of our teams from the hospital, three staff will remain to liaise with authorities, continue to provide support for human resources, and supply medicines.
This incident follows an earlier suspension in August, when MSF halted all activities at the hospital following a grenade explosion inside the facility on the night of 16 August. That attack resulted in one person killed and left five others injured, including a Ministry of Health staff member. A reduced team continued to provide essential care until, following discussions with key stakeholders, we resumed our activities on 31 August.
It is essential that our teams continue to provide urgent medical care at the hospital. José Sánchez, MSF medical coordinator in Darfur
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Measles outbreak
The ongoing violence disrupts access to healthcare for hundreds of people in need at a time when MSF has been responding to a measles outbreak in the area.
From 1 April to 20 November, our teams received a total of 850 measles patients, over one-third (310) of whom were acutely malnourished.
"Many of the measles patients we treat also suffer from acute malnutrition, which increases the risk of developing severe medical complications," says José Sánchez, MSF medical coordinator in Darfur. "Malnutrition combined with measles can be fatal."
Over the past months, our teams have recorded worrying surges in measles cases. Weekly averages have escalated rapidly, from three cases in July to 22 in August, 43 in September, 57 in October and 62 in November.
"It is essential that our teams continue to provide urgent medical care at the hospital," says Sánchez.
For nearly 50 years, MSF has been at the forefront of major crises in Sudan, including disease outbreaks and periods of severe malnutrition. We continue to support communities affected by ongoing conflict through humanitarian and healthcare activities in eight states.
