Sudanese RSF militia killed 460 people at el-Fasher hospital, says WHO

The Rapid Support Forces militia reportedly killed hundreds of civilians at the main hospital in el-Fasher, days after it captured the Sudanese city, the head of the UN's health agency says.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the UN health agency was "appalled and deeply shocked" by the reported killing of 460 people at the hospital.

Earlier, the Sudan Doctors' Network said that on Tuesday RSF fighters had "cold bloodedly killed everyone they found inside the Saudi Hospital, including patients, their companions, and anyone else present".

It gave no casualty figures, but said medical facilities in the city had been "transformed into human slaughterhouses".

The Sudan Doctors Network has also accused the RSF of kidnapping six medics - including four doctors, a pharmacist and a nurse - and reportedly demanding ransoms in excess of $150,000 (£114,000) for their release.

Tuesday's attack on Saudi Hospital was also reported by the el-Fasher Resistance Committee, a group of local activists, which said there was "a horrifying silence" afterwards.

The city had been the army's last stronghold in the Darfur region, and was captured by the RSF on Sunday after an 18-month siege marked by starvation and heavy bombardment.

Since the conflict erupted in April 2023, the RSF and allied Arab militia in Darfur have been accused of targeting people from non-Arab ethnic groups - allegations the RSF denies.

With the fall of el-Fasher, the UN, activists and aid agencies have expressed fear over the fate of the estimated 250,000 people trapped in the city, many from non-Arab communities.

A communications blackout has made it difficult to confirm what is happening.

Source: BBC/Africa News