Paramilitary RSF releases 9 medical workers in Sudan’s Darfur, dozens still held: Medics

KHARTOUM/ISTANBUL

The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan released nine medical workers from detention in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur state, out of a total of 73 health workers still being held, a local medical group said Saturday.

Guards at Daqris and Kober prisons, both under RSF control in Nyala, released nine detained medical staff members, the Sudan Doctors Network said in a statement, adding that there was no information about the fate of the 73 remaining detainees.

The group described the move as “positive” but said it must be followed by the release of all detained medical workers and civilians without exception, calling for guarantees of their safety and respect for their rights under international law.

The network also urged immediate access for UN agencies to detainees, and said families have been left without information about their relatives amid “enforced secrecy surrounding detention conditions in Nyala.”

It held RSF leadership fully responsible for the safety and lives of civilians held in extremely poor conditions and demanded their immediate release, urging respect for international humanitarian law protecting civilians and health workers in conflict zones.

The RSF has not yet commented.

On Friday, the World Health Organization (WHO) said attacks on healthcare facilities in Sudan have killed 1,858 people and wounded 490 others since the conflict began in mid-April 2023. At least 70 health workers and about 5,000 civilians have been detained in Nyala in recent months, it added.

On Thursday, the Sudan Doctors Network said 234 medical workers have been killed, 507 injured, and 59 reported missing since the war began. It also noted that 73 medical staff members remain detained in Nyala in areas controlled by the RSF.

The network estimates that more than 19,000 people are being held by the RSF nationwide, based on figures released on Dec. 10.

Of Sudan’s 18 states, the RSF controls all five states of the Darfur region in the west, except for some northern parts of North Darfur that remain under army control. The army, in turn, holds most areas of the remaining 13 states in the south, north, east, and center, including the capital Khartoum.

The conflict between the Sudanese army and the RSF, which began in April 2023, has since killed thousands of people and displaced millions of others.