As the world marked World Humanitarian Day on 19 August 2025, the reality in Darfur was one of escalating attacks on humanitarian workers and facilities. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) was forced to suspend all activities at Zalingei Hospital in Central Darfur following a violent armed assault inside the facility, including a grenade explosion that killed one person and injured five others.
The suspension comes at the height of Sudan’s worst cholera outbreak in years, which has already claimed thousands of lives. In the Darfur region alone, MSF teams treated over 2,300 patients and recorded 40 deaths in just one week. Zalingei Hospital was a critical hub for cholera treatment and general health care, serving an estimated 500,000 people. Its closure leaves thousands without access to lifesaving services.
Across Darfur, medical facilities are overwhelmed. In Tawila, North Darfur, a cholera treatment center designed for 130 patients was forced to accommodate more than 400 in the first week of August, with staff placing mattresses on the floor. Meanwhile, famine conditions are spreading in displacement camps as humanitarian access remains blocked, and community kitchens have been targeted and shut down.
The forced withdrawal of MSF from Zalingei underscores a disturbing pattern: hospitals, aid convoys, and humanitarian staff are being deliberately targeted amid Sudan’s civil war. These actions not only violate international humanitarian law but also deprive civilians of critical care at a time of famine and epidemic.
DNHR Position
The Darfur Network for Human Rights condemns in the strongest terms the attack on MSF staff and the suspension of operations at Zalingei Hospital. On a week dedicated to honoring humanitarian workers, Sudanese civilians and aid staff instead faced violence, insecurity, and denial of access.
DNHR calls for:
- Immediate guarantees of security for all humanitarian staff and facilities.
- Unhindered humanitarian access across Darfur and Sudan.
- Accountability for those responsible for targeting humanitarian operations.
Humanitarian staff must never be a target. Civilians in Sudan urgently need food, clean water, and medical care not more war.