Médecins Sans Frontières expresses its concern over the tragic impact of the conflict on the population over the past weekend

13 September 2023 (Pen) Last weekend, MSF teams treated more than 100 wounded people injured in two separate locations in Khartoum following airstrikes that killed at least 49 people, said Médecins Sans Frontières. This was the deadliest weekend MSF teams have seen in Khartoum since the start of the conflict five months ago.

Following an explosion in the crowded Goro market early Sunday morning, 43 people were killed and more than 60 wounded were cared for at the MSF-supported Bashaer Teaching Hospital in southern Khartoum.

Mary Burton, MSF emergency coordinator in Khartoum, said: "It was a day of terror. For hours, dozens of bodies lay under blankets in the hospital yard until families came to identify their missing loved ones. Meanwhile, our staff did their best to save the lives of survivors, whose wounds were a testament to the incredible power of the weapons used: parts of their bodies were torn apart and the stomachs of some were open."

"Although this war has been going on for about five months, the Sudanese volunteers the hospital relies on are still shocked by what they have witnessed," adds Mary Burton.

A day earlier, in the afternoon, Khartoum's Haj Youssef residential area was also bombed, destroying homes and injuring dozens of people. The new dairy hospital, supported by Médecins Sans Frontières, received 45 wounded and six people died on arrival.

MSF medical coordinator in Khartoum, Christian Mas Buelud, said: "The site of the attack was very close to the hospital. Our teams heard a loud explosion and rushed to prepare for emergencies. Shortly thereafter, patients began arriving in groups. Most had shrapnel wounds, and many were in critical condition. "It's horrific that residential areas, such as homes and markets, are being bombed."

According to MSF, these figures only include patients who have been treated directly by doctors' teams. Other organizations have reported casualties in the sprawling capital, which was home to 4 million people before the conflict.

Khartoum was not alone in witnessing the tragic impact of the conflict on the population over the weekend. In El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, MSF teams working alongside the Ministry of Health at the southern hospital responded to a large influx of patients on Saturday 9 September after heavy fighting between the warring parties in the city. Forty-eight patients received treatment, with most of the injuries caused by explosions and bullets. Four patients lost their lives.

The response to incidents of mass injuries caused by extreme violence has become a regular occurrence for MSF teams. The previous weekend, on 2 September, following another raid on another market in southern Khartoum, the Médecins Sans Frontières-supported Turkish hospital received 21 dead and six seriously injured people treated in the emergency room. On 3 September, medical teams in Omdurman treated more than 50 violence-related injuries following renewed fighting in Umbada. Eight patients died of injuries caused by injuries, according to Médecins Sans Frontières.