ICN condemns the killing of patients, nurses and other health workers in El Fasher

The International Council of Nurses (ICN) joins the World Health Organization (WHO) in condemning, in the strongest possible terms, the horrific killing of more than 460 patients and their companions and the abduction of six health workers on 28 October from the Saudi Maternity Hospital in El Fasher, North Darfur.

This appalling attack — which follows repeated assaults on the only partially functioning hospital in the area — represents yet another tragic escalation in the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in El Fasher, where siege conditions, violence, and hunger are devastating civilians and dismantling an already fragile health system. International reports say thousands have been killed in the city.

ICN has been in contact with the President of the Sudan Nurses Organisation, Mowafag Hassan Hashim:

“In El Fasher, health workers have been kidnapped, 460 patients and companions executed, women and girls raped or enslaved, and children separated from their mothers or murdered. The city has become a place of death and grave violations of international humanitarian law. The tragedy extends beyond El Fasher to Bara, where five humanitarian workers and a nurse have been killed, three are missing, and hospitals and health facilities have been attacked.”

“Attacks on hospitals and the killing of patients and health workers are abhorrent violations of International Humanitarian Law and cannot be tolerated,” said ICN President Dr. José Luis Cobos Serrano. “Nurses and all health personnel are neutral actors whose sole mission is to care for the sick and injured. To target them is an attack on humanity itself. The international community must not only condemn these atrocities but act decisively to protect those who serve on the frontlines.

‘We cannot tolerate any further attacks of this kind. I therefore renew my appeal to all authorities, political leaders, government officials, and community leaders to unite in the call for peace and the protection of human life. We must not lose our sense of humanity. As nurses, we raise our voices for compassion and peace, and we hope that all will hear and join us in this appeal.”

ICN echoes the statement of WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who said, “Health workers and civilians should never be a target. Health care must be protected.”

ICN further recalls its Emergency Resolution, adopted at its recent General Assembly, which called for stronger international action to ensure the protection of nurses and health personnel in all conflict zones, and for full accountability for violations of International Humanitarian Law.

The WHO reports that more than 260,000 people remain trapped in El Fasher with almost no access to food, clean water, or medical care. Tens of thousands have fled in recent days, while many more are expected to be displaced in the coming weeks. The suffering of civilians — including women, children, and health workers — is immeasurable and must end.

ICN stands in solidarity with the nurses and health workers of Sudan and reaffirms its unwavering commitment to defending their safety, their rights, and their vital role in delivering care, even amid the gravest danger.