Sudan's RSF Turns Al-Nuhud Hospital in West Kordofan Into Military Base, Denying Medical Care

Sudan's RSF Turns Al-Nuhud Hospital in West Kordofan Into Military Base, Denying Medical Care

28 November, 20252 sources compared
Sudan

Key Points from 2 News Sources

  1. 1

    RSF converted large part of Al-Nuhud Hospital into a command centre and troop quarters

  2. 2

    Conversion prevented Al-Nuhud Hospital from providing basic medical care to civilians

  3. 3

    Sudan Doctors Network condemned RSF's military use as a violation of medical institutions' sanctity

Full Analysis Summary

Al‑Nuhud hospital takeover

Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) converted substantial parts of Al‑Nuhud Hospital in West Kordofan into a military command centre and troop quarters after seizing the city more than five months ago, effectively denying normal medical care to local residents.

The Sudan Doctors Network reported that major sections, including the emergency department, were repurposed for military use, leaving the facility unable to provide basic services and prompting many health workers to flee amid accusations of collaboration with the army.

As a result, thousands of residents now have extremely limited or no access to essential medical services during the ongoing conflict between the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF).

Coverage Differences

Tone and emphasis

Both West Asian sources (Al Jazeera, TRT World) report the hospital’s conversion and the resulting loss of care, but Al Jazeera frames the development within the wider war’s human toll and displacement, while TRT World emphasizes the operational details (including the emergency department’s conversion) and the legal/norms dimension, noting calls for withdrawal.

Attribution of wider consequences

Al Jazeera links the hospital takeover to the broader conflict’s civilian toll and displacement, while TRT World focuses more narrowly on the hospital’s operational collapse and international norms violation; TRT also explicitly reports that the RSF has not commented.

Hospital operations under military occupation

Medical staff and the Sudan Doctors Network say harassment, accusations of collaboration with the army, and direct military occupation forced many health workers to flee Al-Nuhud, producing severe staff shortages and drastically reduced services.

Both reports say the hospital’s civilian functions were effectively suspended, with emergency care and routine services disrupted after the RSF established command posts and troop accommodations inside the facility.

Medical groups have called for protection and for the restoration of civilian medical services.

Coverage Differences

Reported actions vs. appeals

TRT World explicitly recounts the Sudan Doctors Network’s appeal for the RSF to withdraw and protect medical personnel, while Al Jazeera quotes the NGO’s strong condemnation (calling the move a 'blatant violation') and situates the statement alongside broader conflict reporting rather than emphasizing the specific appeal.

Hospital takeover and alleged abuses

Al Jazeera places the Al-Nuhud hospital takeover within wider allegations of atrocities in Sudan, citing the Norwegian Refugee Council’s claim that at least 400 unaccompanied children arrived in Tawila after the RSF captured el-Fasher and accusing the RSF of mass killings, kidnappings and widespread sexual violence.

This broader framing links the hospital occupation to reported patterns of abuse in other RSF operations and underscores the humanitarian alarm expressed by rights and aid groups.

Coverage Differences

Scope and linked allegations

Al Jazeera includes related, serious allegations from the Norwegian Refugee Council about mass killings, kidnappings and sexual violence in other RSF operations (el‑Fasher/Tawila), while TRT World remains focused narrowly on the hospital occupation and does not report those specific wider allegations in its account.

Narrative linkage

Al Jazeera links the hospital’s conversion to the larger humanitarian crisis across Sudan, whereas TRT World presents the hospital story as a discrete violation of medical norms without reporting the NRC’s claims.

Criticism of hospital takeover

Both outlets characterize the RSF's use of a civilian medical facility as a violation of medical sanctity and international norms.

TRT World frames the conversion as a breach of international standards and highlights appeals for the RSF to restore the hospital's civilian role.

Al Jazeera reports NGOs calling the move a "blatant violation" and situates it within a broader conflict that has caused mass displacement and casualties.

Coverage Differences

Legal framing vs. humanitarian context

TRT World emphasizes the violation of international norms and the concrete appeal to reverse the militarization, whereas Al Jazeera stresses the humanitarian consequences and the NGOs’ moral condemnation, linking the hospital takeover to wider conflict effects.

Reporting gaps and discrepancies

Information gaps and uncertainties remain.

Neither outlet provides direct on-the-ground comments from RSF leadership in these snippets, and TRT World notes the RSF has not commented.

The scope of damage to infrastructure and patient outcomes beyond the immediate loss of services is not detailed in either report.

Al Jazeera’s wider conflict context raises serious allegations from other NGOs that are not corroborated in the TRT World account, indicating reporters rely on different NGO briefings and framing choices.

Coverage Differences

Missing RSF response and corroboration

Both sources report the RSF’s actions via the Sudan Doctors Network and other NGOs but do not contain an RSF statement; TRT World explicitly states the RSF 'has not commented', while Al Jazeera includes linked allegations from the Norwegian Refugee Council that TRT World does not report, showing divergent sourcing and corroboration choices.

All 2 Sources Compared

Al Jazeera

RSF converts hospital in Sudan’s West Kordofan into military base

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TRT World

Sudan's RSF accused of turning West Kordofan hospital into a military base

Read Original