Al-Yurae-Bashair Hospital, located in southern Khartoum, witnessed severe security turmoil on Friday evening after a member of the joint forces affiliated with Minni Arko Minnawi’s faction threatened to blow up the medical facility with a hand grenade upon receiving news of the death of an injured comrade. The incident triggered widespread panic within the hospital, prompting medical and administrative staff to leave the building en masse, while patients and their companions evacuated amid tension and fear. The escalation came in the wake of armed clashes between members of the joint forces and Sudanese army troops in the Fish Market area north of the hospital, further complicating the security situation around the medical facility.
Calls to Remove Armed Formations from Khartoum
Despite clear orders from Sudanese Army Commander Abdel Fattah al-Burhan to withdraw all military formations from the capital, some armed movements and army-allied battalions refuse to leave Khartoum, leaving vital facilities, including hospitals, exposed to unrest and violations. The Bashair Hospital incident underscores the fragility of the city’s security environment and highlights how health workers and civilians face direct danger amid the lack of effective mechanisms to regulate military behavior in civilian areas. Medical and community voices have increasingly called for strict military discipline and the protection of service institutions to ensure the continued delivery of essential services in a safe environment.
Suspension of Operations and Repeated Assaults
A medical source stated Sunday that operations at Bashair Hospital had been completely halted due to direct threats from members of the joint forces, specifically targeting medical staff. The source explained that staff suspended work on Friday evening before resuming midday Saturday following intervention by the Director of the Therapeutic Medicine Department at the Ministry of Health. However, tensions reignited, causing another stoppage. An eyewitness confirmed that the hospital’s emergency department stopped receiving cases on Sunday morning, reflecting continued instability within the facility.
Growing Concerns Over the Health Sector
Supported by Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders), Bashair Hospital has previously endured a series of assaults during the period when the Rapid Support Forces controlled Khartoum. These repeated incidents have raised deep alarm among medical and human rights circles, particularly given the hospital’s role as a vital facility serving large swaths of southern Khartoum. The persistence of such attacks poses serious challenges to the health sector’s ability to continue its mission and requires urgent intervention by relevant authorities to protect staff and facilities in a security environment still plagued by disorder and tension.
