Hospitals under fire, nurse tells MEE

Dozens of Sudan's hospitals have shut down on the fifth day of bloody clashes between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Nuha Mahjoub, a nurse at Khartoum Hospital, told Middle East Eye that hospitals were under fire, and ambulances couldn't reach the injured or those who needed medical care.

Medical staff were stuck inside Khartoum Hospital for three days, until 30 patients, doctors, and nurses were evacuated to other hospitals. 

"We try to be outside the house, in the garden, and not stay inside the rooms for fear of being bombed," said Mahjoub, speaking from her home.

She said the capital resembled a war zone.

She told MEE that some dead bodies in Sudanese hospitals had bloated due to the lack of morgues and electricity. Per Islamic tradition, bodies should be buried as quickly as possible.

Mahjoub said that Al-Shaab Teaching Hospital‎, where she had previously worked, was targeted directly with bombs.

'We can't send ambulances to treat these patients as the situation on the streets is very dangerous'

- Nuha Mahjoub, nurse, Khartoum

"The ward of chest pain and heart disease patients was targeted. The hospital was evacuated, and some patients were injured.

"We don't know why hospitals are being targeted. Some of it is close to the headquarters of the armed forces like Khartoum Hospital, which was caught up in the middle of fighting."

Since Saturday, the army and RSF have fought tooth and nail over strategic bridges, airports, military bases and government offices.

Mahjoub said that the victims of the fighting were patients who needed oxygen, or those sitting at home in need of urgent care for heart problems or kidney dialysis.

"We can't send ambulances to treat these patients as the situation on the streets is very dangerous. People are dying in their homes for lack of medical care. We used ambulances as vehicles-only - without medical staff - to transport and evacuate patients to another hospital."

She said that some hospitals that took evacuated patients, such as in the city of Omdurman, later shut down too. Patients had to be evacuated once again.

According to the Central Committee of Sudan's Doctors, 39 out of 59 hospitals in Khartoum were out of service as of Tuesday evening. 16 of them were forced to evacuate, while nine hospitals were bombed.

Bloated corpses rot in corridors as Sudan's hospitals shut down by fighting