Sudan’s RSF releases nine detained medics in Darfur, dozens remain held

In a limited gesture, Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces released nine detained medical workers from prisons in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur state, on Saturday. The move was confirmed by the Sudan Doctors Network, which simultaneously called for the unconditional release of all remaining health personnel and civilians held by the RSF across the conflict-torn country.

A Fractional Release Amid Widespread Detentions

The release from Daqris and Kober prisons, both under RSF control, freed only a small fraction of those detained. The medical network described the action as "positive" but stressed it must be followed by the release of all detained medical staff and civilians. The group expressed grave concern over the "enforced secrecy surrounding detention conditions" and the lack of information provided to families about their relatives.

Mounting Casualties and Attacks on Healthcare

The detention of medical personnel occurs against a backdrop of systematic attacks on healthcare in Sudan. The World Health Organization reported on Friday that such attacks have killed 1,858 people and wounded 490 others since the war began in April 2023. The Sudan Doctors Network provided even starker figures for medical staff, stating 234 have been killed, 507 injured, and 59 are missing since the conflict's onset.

A Broader Pattern of Abuses in a Divided Nation

The RSF, which controls most of the Darfur region, has not commented on the detentions. The medical network estimates over 19,000 people are being held by the paramilitary force nationwide, based on earlier figures. This pattern of abuses deepens the humanitarian catastrophe in Sudan, where the army and the RSF have been locked in a civil war that has killed thousands and displaced millions, fragmenting control of the country's 18 states.