The medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has withdrawn its staff from the only functioning major hospital in Sudan’s central Gezira state, citing worsening insecurity.
Madani Teaching Hospital, located in they city of Wad Madani, is the only operating hospital in Gezira state.
Wad Madani is controlled by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group, which has been fighting Sudan’s army since April 2023.
“This extremely difficult decision comes after more than three months of relentless challenges trying to provide care at the hospital, including the growing insecurity; the inability to bring new staff and medical supplies into the area due to the denial of travel permits,” MSF said in a statement.
It added that the hospital had been serving “hundreds of thousands of people in dire need of medical assistance”.
The charity urged the army and RSF to “stop violating health facilities and guarantee the safety of medical personnel and grant the necessary travel permits for our staff and supplies”.