“According to the information we have in Khartoum, 50% of hospitals have been out of action in the first 72 hours,” said Abdalla Hussein, the Médecins Sans Frontière operational manager for Sudan. “This is because the staff weren’t feeling safe to go there or the hospitals themselves have been subject to shelling or bombing,” he said.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), at least 270 people have been killed and more than 2,600 injured since the clashes erupted on Saturday between Sudan’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
On Wednesday, Japan said it was preparing to send its military to evacuate nationals from Sudan.
Tokyo has been able to contact all 60 of its nationals in Sudan, including embassy staff, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said during an emergency news conference. There are no reports of injuries among them, though food and water are scarce, and power cuts have become frequent as the security situation deteriorates.
Further details about the deployment of Japan’s Self-Defense Forces will be discussed in the future, he added
The United States has not announced any plans for an evacuation operation for Americans in Sudan, but has urged its nationals to stay indoors, shelter in place, and stay away from windows. China, too, has asked all of its citizens in Sudan to stay vigilant and to register their information online with the Chinese Embassy in Khartoum.
In recent days, even diplomats and foreign staffers have been targeted. A US diplomatic convoy came under gunfire; the EU ambassador to Sudan was assaulted in his residency; and three workers from the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) were killed.
An internal UN document seen by CNN details how armed personnel have raided the homes of UN staff and employees of other international organizations in the capital. The gunmen sexually assaulted women, with one incident of rape reported.
“In Khartoum armed uniformed personnel, reportedly from RSF, are entering the residences of expats, separating men and women and taking them away,” reads the report.
The RSF denied those reports, blaming Sudan’s armed forces for committing the crimes while wearing RSF uniforms. The armed forces have denied involvement in the violations, and reiterated claims that the RSF had committed crimes against humanity.