Al-fashir: The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) has expressed shock at reports that more than 460 patients and family members were killed in a maternity hospital following the capture of the Sudanese city of al-Fashir by a militia. ‘All patients, health personnel and health facilities must be protected under International Humanitarian Law,’ Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus wrote on X on Wednesday.

According to Ghana News Agency, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia gained control of the city in the Darfur region over the weekend. The Sudanese Doctors’ Network has reported that at least 1,500 unarmed civilians were killed while trying to flee. Videos have emerged showing dozens of unarmed men being shot.

The doctors have accused the RSF of committing genocide against the country’s non-Arab population. Genocide is defined as the deliberate and systematic destruction of a group based on its nationality, ethnicity, or religion, either in whole or in part. Meanwhile, the RSF claims that its actions aimed to protect civilians in al-Fashir and provide safe corridors for those wishing to leave.

Since April 2023, Sudan has been embroiled in a bloody power struggle between de facto ruler Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his former deputy, Mohammed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the RSF. In Darfur, competition for land and water between traditionally nomadic Arab ethnic groups and sedentary non-Arab communities remains a central issue.

Al-Fashir, home to an estimated 300,000 civilians, has been under siege by the RSF for more than 500 days. Experts have criticized Western governments for not imposing sanctions on states supporting the rebel militia, including the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The UAE denies any involvement in the conflict, though the Wall Street Journal has cited US intelligence sources claiming that it is supplying weapons to the RSF.