The Committee for Justice (CFJ) expressed its strongest condemnation and deep regret over the death of Dr. Yusuf Ibrahim Zakaria, a surgeon at Al-Da’een Hospital and a relief activist, under mysterious circumstances in the city of Al-Da’een, considering this incident a stark reflection of the grave risks faced by healthcare workers in areas plagued by insecurity and systematic violations.
CFJ affirmed that the death of Dr. Zakaria represents a severe blow to the healthcare system and raises legitimate questions about the safety of doctors and medical staff operating in environments that lack even the most basic protection standards, amid ongoing violations against medical personnel in conflict zones.
The Sudanese Doctors’ Syndicate revealed in recent statistics dated 9 November that 94 doctors have been killed since the outbreak of the war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in mid-April 2023, underscoring the scale of systematic targeting of healthcare workers.
In angry reactions, the Sudan Doctors Network stated in a press release that “this incident cannot be separated from the series of violations committed against medical personnel in RSF-controlled areas, making medical work there a highly dangerous mission that requires urgent intervention.” The network renewed its call for effective mechanisms to protect doctors and healthcare workers and ensure they are not subjected to arrest, violence, or extortion while performing their humanitarian duties.
CFJ called for an independent and transparent investigation to uncover the circumstances surrounding Dr. Zakaria’s death and urged international and human rights organizations to monitor the health situation in these areas and exert pressure to prevent any form of intimidation or targeting of medical and relief workers.
The Committee emphasized that these violations constitute a blatant breach of international treaties ratified by the Republic of Sudan, including the Four Geneva Conventions of 1949, particularly the Fourth Convention on the protection of civilians during armed conflict, the First Additional Protocol of 1977, which mandates the protection of medical personnel and healthcare facilities, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which guarantees the right to life and access to healthcare, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which prohibits extrajudicial killings.
CFJ stressed that protecting civilians and medical personnel and ensuring the continuity of healthcare services is a legal and moral obligation, and that silence from the international community amounts to complicity in granting impunity to perpetrators.