Two killed in Sudan hospital shooting, officials blame ‘accidental’ dispute

October 14, 2025 (ATBARA) – Two people were killed and two others critically injured in a shooting at Atbara Hospital on Monday, which authorities in River Nile State described as an “accidental” dispute involving members of an armed group.

The incident has been attributed to members of the Joint Force comprising various armed struggle movements.

The state’s Security Committee said in a statement on Tuesday that a dispute erupted when the armed group tried to enter the hospital’s crowded gate in a pickup truck, leading to a confrontation with a rickshaw driver and his brother, a member of the security services.

According to the statement, a member of the armed group fired a Kalashnikov rifle, killing one of his own comrades and the rickshaw driver’s brother. The shooter and another group member have been arrested, the committee said, reiterating that the incident was “accidental and has no security or political undertones.”

However, the Atbara Resistance Committees Coordination gave a conflicting account, accusing the joint force of storming the hospital and opening fire “without any respect for the sanctity of the place or the lives of the patients.”

The activist group called the incident a crime that shows “a direct result of the multiplicity of armies and militias and the collapse of the security system in the country.” It held the political and military leadership responsible and demanded that all armed personnel be removed from civilian facilities.

The incident follows recent tensions in other medical facilities. Doctors at Bashair Hospital in southern Khartoum suspended work last Friday after members of the Joint Force reportedly threatened to blow up the hospital if an injured fighter in their care died.