Doctors Without Borders withdraws its staff from Zalingei hospital after an employee is killed

November 25, 2025 (pen) Doctors Without Borders mourned today the death of a Sudanese Ministry of Health worker in a shooting incident that occurred outside Zalingei Hospital in Central Darfur State on November 18, calling on the Rapid Support Forces to guarantee the protection of health facilities and their workers.

The organization said in a statement that a Ministry of Health worker was killed and four other people were injured as a result of the shooting, noting that the incident forced it – for the second time this year – to withdraw its staff from Zalingei Hospital to ensure their safety.

Mariam Laroussi, emergency coordinator for Doctors Without Borders in Darfur, confirmed that the organization’s teams will not resume their humanitarian activities unless the Rapid Support Forces guarantee safe conditions to protect staff and patients, describing the exposure of medical facilities to armed clashes as “unacceptable.”

Doctors Without Borders indicated that since November 18 it has been in continuous contact with the Ministry of Health, security agencies and local authorities to ensure the protective status of the hospital, explaining that three of its staff members will remain on site to coordinate and provide support in human resources and the supply of medicines.

This development comes after a previous incident in August, when the organization temporarily suspended its activities following a bomb explosion inside the hospital that killed one person and injured five others, before resuming work on August 31 after consultations with the relevant authorities.

In a related development, the organization warned that ongoing violence is endangering the lives of hundreds of patients, coinciding with its response to a measles outbreak in the region. Its teams have treated 850 measles cases since April, including 310 suffering from severe acute malnutrition, up to November 20.

Jose Sanchez, the medical coordinator in Darfur, said that the malnutrition associated with measles “can be fatal,” noting that the average weekly infection rate had risen alarmingly from 3 cases in July to 62 cases in November.

Sanchez stressed that the continued provision of urgent medical care at the hospital is “essential,” noting that Doctors Without Borders continues its humanitarian and medical work in eight Sudanese states despite the security challenges.