One person killed, 18 others injured in Khartoum, says MSF
September 30, 2024 (KHARTOUM) – One person was killed and 18 others injured in heavy fighting that occurred south of Khartoum, a medical charity said on Saturday.
Those injured, Medicines San Frontiers (MSF) said in a statement, were rushed to the emergency room after shelling within 160 metres of Bashair Teaching Hospital.
One person, it added, died as a result of the shelling before reaching the hospital.
“We are deeply concerned for people in Khartoum. Every week now, patients are rushed to hospitals after attacks on markets, residential areas. Today’s shelling was less than 200m from a hospital. The situation is awful and it is not improving,” said Pietro Curtaz, MSF Head of Mission.
Since the commencement of hostilities between the opposing factions in Sudan on April 15, the areas to the south of Khartoum have endured both artillery bombardments and airstrikes, resulting in numerous civilian casualties.
The impact of artillery shells hitting densely populated neighbourhoods compelled civilians to evacuate. Notably, the South Belt area hosts the largest camps and facilities of the Rapid Support Forces, which are also deployed in the residential neighbourhoods.
According to the international medical charity, large parts of Sudan have experienced ongoing violence, including intense urban warfare, gunfire, shelling and airstrikes.
It, however, stressed that its teams reported that hospitals are overwhelmed, and in some areas, people are unable or too afraid to get to health facilities because the fighting is too intense and or the facilities have been damaged in the fighting.
As such, many people are cut off from medical care at a time when they need it most.
MSF teams have reportedly managed to make donations to hospitals in several states including Khartoum, Al-Jazeera, North and Central Darfur and Red Sea states.
At least 20.3 million people across Sudan are acutely food insecure and need food and livelihood assistance between July and September 2023, according to the latest integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) on the war-torn nation.
(ST)