Kurmuk’s main hospital has been put out of service after fighting in Sudan’s Blue Nile state, leaving thousands of people in a remote border area with reduced access to healthcare, according to the state’s health minister.

Jamal Nasser Al-Sayed said the health sector had suffered extensive damage following attacks by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and its allied Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North in Kurmuk and Qaisan. A report from the area said more than 10 other health centres had also been destroyed.

The hospital served thousands of residents in an isolated area near the Ethiopian border. Its closure has added pressure to a health system already severely damaged by Sudan’s war, with the World Health Organisation saying in August that about 37% of the country’s health facilities were unable to provide services during 2026.

Fighting has also driven civilians from Kurmuk and surrounding areas towards Wad Al-Mahi, Damazin and Roseires, according to reports from the region. Women, children, older people and those with chronic illnesses are among the displaced, while local resources are struggling to meet demand.

The state health ministry has sent medical convoys to Wad Al-Mahi to provide treatment and medicines to displaced people. The health minister has appealed for urgent international humanitarian assistance, particularly supplies of essential medicines.

Health officials have also warned of renewed disease risks as heavy rainfall and inadequate drainage create conditions favourable to mosquitoes and other disease vectors. Dengue fever and malaria had reportedly declined but remain concerns as displacement and the loss of health facilities make prevention and treatment more difficult.

The latest fighting is part of a rapid shift in control of the strategically located Kurmuk area. The RSF and its allies captured the town on 13 August, after the Sudanese army had retaken it from the group on 8 July. The RSF said it had taken control after heavy fighting, while local authorities had earlier reported attacks involving drones and artillery.

Kurmuk lies about 136 kilometres from Damazin, the capital of Blue Nile state, and close to the Ethiopian border, giving it importance as a military and supply route. The RSF has described its capture as a strategic gain, while the Sudanese army has continued military operations in the wider Blue Nile region.

On Sunday, a senior Sudanese army source also said ground defences had shot down a long-range drone belonging to the RSF in the Kurmuk area. That claim could not be independently verified.

The health ministry said it was continuing to coordinate with the federal government on emergency assistance, but the scale of displacement and damage has increased the need for outside support.