Desperation in Sudan: Witness Account of a Hospital Worker Amidst Atrocities

Wed Nov 12 2025 17:16:11 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

A laboratory technician recounts the horror of fleeing el-Fasher's last functioning hospital before a reported massacre, revealing the dire circumstances facing many in Sudan.

Abdu-Rabbu Ahmed, a technician at Saudi Maternity Hospital, shares his harrowing escape and loss amidst escalating violence in Sudan. As the RSF paramilitary ramps up assaults, reports indicate a massacre at the hospital, leaving families shattered and survivors in despair. The World Health Organization has condemned the violence, while Ahmed describes the terrifying conditions leading to his flight from the city.

A man who escaped the last functioning hospital in the Sudanese city of el-Fasher before a reported massacre by paramilitary troops says he has lost all hope and happiness.

Abdu-Rabbu Ahmed, a laboratory technician at the Saudi Maternity Hospital, emotionally detailed his experiences to the BBC: I have lost my colleagues. I have lost the people whose faces I used to see smiling... It feels as if you lost a big part of your body or your soul. Ahmed is now in a displaced persons camp in Tawila, about 70km away from the decimated el-Fasher.

Following the takeover by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) after an 18-month siege, reports indicate the alleged killings of at least 460 patients and their companions in a shocking incident linked to the ongoing conflict that erupted in April 2023.

The World Health Organization condemned the RSF's actions, describing their human rights violations as 'appalling and deeply shocking'. The RSF, however, has denied these accusations, asserting that all hospitals had been abandoned and released video footage claiming to show ongoing healthcare activities within their controlled zones.

Ahmed recounted the harrowing escape as artillery shelling began, leading to chaotic scenes of terror among civilians and medical personnel: All civilians and soldiers headed out towards the southern side. There was a state of terror, and as we walked, drones were bombing us. And heavy artillery too - I saw many people die on the spot, there was no one who could save them. Many medical staff fled with him, but others were trapped, and Ahmed fears for their safety.

He lamented the severe toll taken on his family as well; two brothers and a sister were killed during the chaos, and his parents are still unaccounted for. The horror stories emerging from Tawila's camps reveal a devastating aftermath of violence, rampant insecurity, and shattered lives.

The situation has been corroborated by independent humanitarian organizations and satellite imagery indicating the gruesome fate of those left behind. Ahmed expressed grief for his colleagues still inside el-Fasher, stating, They may be killed. And they may be used as human shields against the [Sudanese air force] airstrikes. He ultimately concluded with a bleak declaration: I do not have any hope of returning to el-Fasher.