North Darfur clashes leave 13,000 killed or wounded in a year

March 5, 2025 (EL-FASHER) – Thirteen thousand people have been killed or wounded in Sudan’s North Darfur state due to ongoing clashes between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a senior state health official said on Thursday.

The security and humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate across large areas of North Darfur, the official said, due to violent attacks by the RSF on villages surrounding El-Fasher, the state capital, which has been under a near-total blockade for almost a year.

Ibrahim Khatir, director-general of the North Darfur Health Ministry, told Sudan Tribune that ministry records showed 13,000 dead and wounded. Some 4,000 surgeries have been performed for shrapnel and gunshot wounds since the war began, he added.

Khatir acknowledged significant challenges facing the health sector, including shortages of medical and health personnel, staff, and workers. He also cited the RSF’s deliberate targeting of health and medical facilities.

He pointed to a severe shortage of medicines and medical supplies because of the siege on El-Fasher, the RSF’s blocking of life-saving drugs from entering the city, and high fuel prices for electricity generators. This has reduced patient capacity, especially after all hospitals in El-Fasher, except for the Saudi Hospital, were forced to close.

“We need the siege on the city lifted as soon as possible,” Khatir said. He appealed for all medical staff to return to work and stressed the need to support and rehabilitate hospitals, health centres, and specialized facilities.

He also called for support for the health sector with fuel and transport, noting that all the ministry’s new vehicles had been stolen.