9 August 2024 

Fikra for Studies and Development is appalled and outraged by the RSF’s cowardly and deliberate missile attack on the Omdurman Maternity Hospital today, 9 August 2024. This heinous act, which comes just one day after the hospital’s reopening following its destruction by the RSF at the beginning of the conflict, constitutes a grave violation of international humanitarian law and constitutes a war crime.

The Omdurman Maternity Hospital is the largest of its kind in Sudan and its destruction had catastrophic consequences for countless women and children. This attack is a stark reminder of the RSF’s utter disregard for human life, laws of war and its relentless pursuit of a brutal campaign against the Sudanese people.

We condemn in the strongest possible terms the RSF’s ongoing targeting of civilian infrastructure, including hospitals, schools, and residential areas. Such acts of violence are a crime against humanity and must not go unpunished.

Attacking hospitals and health facilities is strictly prohibited under international humanitarian law (IHL). This prohibition stems from the fundamental principles of IHL, which aim to minimize suffering during armed conflict. Hospitals, medical personnel, and patients are considered civilians and must be protected from attack.

 – Geneva Conventions: The four Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their Additional Protocols explicitly prohibit attacks on medical units, hospitals, and medical personnel.

 – Customary international law: The prohibition against attacking hospitals is also considered a customary rule of international law, binding on all states, regardless of whether they are parties to the Geneva Conventions.

 – Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court: Intentionally directing attacks against hospitals and medical personnel constitutes a war crime under the Rome Statute.

Those who continue to justify or excuse the RSF’s atrocities are complicit in these crimes. The international community must take immediate and decisive response to hold the RSF and its supporters and allies accountable for its actions and to bring an end to the suffering of the Sudanese people.

Fikra for Studies and Development calls on all parties to the conflict to adhere to international humanitarian law and to prioritize the protection of civilians.
 

Fikra for Studies and Development