NYALA – Medical staff at hospitals in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur State, entered the fourth day of an open-ended strike after two doctors were arrested by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), according to local sources.
The sources said the two doctors were detained four days ago without any publicly announced charges or legal procedures, prompting doctors and other healthcare workers to suspend services and demand their immediate release.
The striking medical staff also called for an end to arrests and threats targeting healthcare workers and urged authorities to provide guarantees for a safe working environment that would allow medical personnel to carry out their professional and humanitarian duties.
The strike has disrupted healthcare services at several hospitals across Nyala, worsening conditions for patients as the city continues to face severe shortages of medical personnel, medicines and essential health services, the sources said.
Nyala has remained under RSF control since late 2023 and has become one of the main urban centers affected by Sudan’s conflict. Humanitarian organizations have repeatedly warned that insecurity, restrictions on humanitarian access and shortages of medical supplies have pushed the city’s healthcare system to the brink of collapse.
The conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the RSF, which began in April 2023, has severely damaged Sudan’s health sector. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), hundreds of health facilities have been forced to close or operate at limited capacity because of insecurity, attacks on medical infrastructure and shortages of staff and essential supplies.
Medical and humanitarian organizations have repeatedly called on all parties to the conflict to protect healthcare workers and medical facilities, warning that continued attacks and interference with health services are depriving millions of civilians of access to life-saving treatment.
