Rapid Support Forces (RSF) reportedly killed hundreds of civilians in the main hospital in el-Fasher, days after the capture of the Sudanese town, according to the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO).

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the WHO was "appalled and deeply shocked" by the massacre of 460 people at the hospital.

Earlier, the Sudan Doctors Network reported that on Tuesday, RSF fighters "coldly shot down everyone inside the Saudi hospital, including patients, their companions and anyone else present".

The Network did not provide any casualty figures, but stated that the city's medical infrastructure had been "transformed into veritable slaughterhouses".

The Sudanese Doctors Network also accused the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of abducting six medical staff members – including four doctors, a pharmacist and a nurse – and demanding ransoms in excess of $150,000 (£114,000) for their release.

Tuesday's attack on the Saudi hospital was also reported by the el-Fasher Resistance Committee, a local activist group, which described a "chilling silence" after the events.

The city was the army's last stronghold in the Darfur region and was taken by the RSF on Sunday, after an 18-month siege marked by famine and intense bombing.

Since the start of the conflict in April 2023, the Syrian Arab Forces (SAF) and allied Arab militias in Darfur have been accused of targeting non-Arab populations – accusations the SAF denies. Following the fall of el-Fasher, the UN, activists, and humanitarian organizations are concerned about the fate of the approximately 250,000 people trapped in the city, many of whom are from non-Arab communities.

The communications blackout makes it difficult to confirm the situation.

BBC Verify has analyzed new videos circulating on social media showing RSF fighters executing several unarmed people in recent days.

Faced with difficulties in obtaining information on the ground, humanitarian organizations indicate that the extent of the damage in and around el-Fasher is only now beginning to be revealed.

Some people managed to undertake the dangerous journey to the town of Tawila, about 60 km west of el-Fasher, and described the extreme violence they suffered.

"The bombing was so intense on Saturday that we had no choice but to flee el-Fasher," a man told BBC Arabic's Sudan Lifeline program.

"On the way, the RSF filmed us, we were beaten and insulted, and they stole everything we had. Several people were captured and ransoms were demanded for their release."

"Some of the captured people were later executed. During the journey, many people were arrested and we suffered terribly from hunger and thirst."

Jan Egeland, a former senior UN humanitarian official, told the BBC that the situation was catastrophic.

"To all these months of deprivation, famine and lack of medical care are added massacres," he stated.

"I think it's the worst place in the world right now; it's the biggest humanitarian crisis ever and it's happening in the shadows, really – far too little attention has been paid to what's happening in Sudan."

Dr. Tedros said that prior to the attack on the Saudi hospital, the WHO had recorded 185 attacks on health facilities since the start of the war, resulting in 1,204 deaths.

"All attacks on healthcare must cease immediately and unconditionally. All patients, healthcare workers and healthcare facilities must be protected by international humanitarian law. Ceasefire!" he shouted.

The capture of el-Fasher de facto divides the country: the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) now control most of Darfur and a large part of neighbouring Kordofan, while the army holds the capital, Khartoum, as well as the central and eastern regions bordering the Red Sea.

These two rivals, once allies – who came to power together in a coup in 2021 – have fallen out over a plan, supported by the international community, to establish a civilian regime.