The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (hereinafter: RSF) have converted a hospital in Sudan’s West Kordofan Hospital into a military base, a move which the Sudan Doctors Network described as a clear violation of international humanitarian law. This action comes amid intense clashes between the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces (hereinafter: SAF) in the three Kordofan states — North, West and South — as the conflict that began on 15 April 2023 continues.

Allegations of International Humanitarian Law Violations

The local medical group, the Sudan Doctors Network, accused the RSF of converting a health facility near the city of Babnousa in West Kordofan state into a military headquarters. The network stated that the conversion of the West Kordofan Hospital into a military base constitutes a clear violation of international humanitarian law and represents “a breach of the principles of civilian protection during armed conflict”. This follows a pattern of reported attacks against health facilities in the state. For instance, an attack on al-Mujlad hospital in West Kordofan in June 2025, close to the frontline, reportedly killed more than 40 civilians, including health workers. The World Health Organisation (hereinafter: WHO) condemned that prior attack.

Expansion of Conflict into Kordofan States

The Kordofan states have become a major venue of operations in the continuing conflict between the SAF and the RSF. The fighting, which began in April 2023, has spread geographically, and military control remains divided and shifting between the parties and other allied armed groups. Both the RSF and the SAF have been locked in a power struggle that regional and international mediation attempts have failed to resolve. The conflict has resulted in the killing of thousands of individuals and the displacement of millions.

Detention of Families in West Kordofan

In connection with the hostilities in West Kordofan, the Sudan Doctors Network previously reported that the RSF was holding seven families around Babnousa for alleged links to the Sudanese army. The network stated that the families were detained on the basis that they had relatives serving in the army. The medical group held the RSF “fully responsible for the safety of the detainees”. This incident was cited by the Sudan Doctors Network as another instance of alleged violations against civilians in West Kordofan and across Sudan. The RSF has not released an immediate comment on the report of the detained families or the conversion of the hospital.

Concluding Outlook

The reported conversion of a West Kordofan Hospital into a military base by the Rapid Support Forces necessitates an examination of the institutional outlook for accountability and civilian protection within the context of the sustained conflict in Sudan. The continuation of military actions that directly impact civilian infrastructure, such as hospitals, presents a critical challenge to the enforcement of international humanitarian law, particularly the Geneva Conventions, which prohibit the targeting of health facilities. Furthermore, the sustained reports of atrocities, sexual violence and the looting of homes documented by international bodies underscore a continuous failure to adhere to the Jeddah Declaration of Commitment to Protect the Civilians of Sudan.

The current development of the conflict, characterised by widespread violence and external actors reportedly providing material support, points towards a sustained state of severe humanitarian crisis, with millions of civilians requiring urgent aid and a continued risk of mass displacement. The immediate institutional implication is a further erosion of the medical and civilian protection framework, which may lead to increasingly desperate conditions for the non-combatant population in the Kordofan region and elsewhere. The lack of adherence to foundational legal and humanitarian principles risks cementing a norm of impunity that compounds the instability and human suffering across the nation.