The Republic of Sudan
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Office of Spokesperson and Media Directorate

Press Statement

On August 11, the Janjaweed militia launched a brutal assault on the Specialized Maternity and Childbirth Hospital in El Fasher (commonly known as the Saudi Hospital), resulting in the tragic loss of a companion’s life and the injury of several patients. This assault also obliterated the hospital’s accident department. The Saudi Hospital remains the sole operational public healthcare facility in El Fasher, following the militia’s systematic targeting and forced closure of other hospitals in the region.

This heinous act follows closely on the heels of a similar attack just two days prior on the Maternity Hospital in Omdurman, which had only recently reopened and refurbished after being occupied and converted into a military barracks by the Militia for a year, during which it suffered extensive damage and sabotage. The Saudi Hospital in El Fasher has endured repeated bombings in recent weeks, with a prior attack on July 29 claiming the lives of three healthcare workers.

The deliberate targeting of hospitals dedicated to maternal and child care underscores the Militia’s broader campaign of violence against women and children, manifested in heinous crimes such as rape, kidnapping, and trafficking tactics synonymous with those employed by terrorist organizations.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs underscores that these atrocities, coupled with the deliberate bombing of residential areas and villages, have not been met with the unequivocal international condemnation they warrant, particularly concerning the Militia and its regional sponsors who supply the deadly weapons used in these crimes. Instead, the United States persists in portraying the Militia’s principal sponsor as a peacemaker, thus attempting to sanitize its image and help it evade accountability. The U.S. Special Envoy has conspicuously avoided accurately characterizing these actions as crimes against humanity and organized terrorism. Meanwhile, the United Nations and the Security Council remain conspicuously silent on the Militia’s blatant disregard for Council Resolution 2736, issued just two months ago, as evidenced by these recent atrocities.

It is abundantly clear that the lenient approach towards the Militia, including the failure to enforce the Jeddah Declaration, and the pursuit of alternative negotiation platforms instead, only serves to embolden it in its continued perpetration of crimes against humanity.

Tuesday, August 13, 2024