A strike on a hospital in Sudan has killed 64 people and injured 89 others, the World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed over the week-end, with 13 children among the dead.
The attack occurred last Friday, targeting Al Daein Teaching Hospital in East Darfur. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus described the incident as devastating, calling for an end to the conflict which has gripped Sudan since April 2023.
According to the WHO, those killed included patients and medical personnel, among them two female nurses and one male doctor. Eight health workers were also injured. The strike reportedly damaged key departments, including paediatric, maternity and emergency units, rendering the facility non-functional.
A Sudanese rights group, Emergency Lawyers, attributed the attack to an army drone strike. The conflict continues to divide the country, with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces controlling much of the Darfur region, while the Sudanese army holds the east, centre and north.
The United Nations humanitarian office expressed shock over the incident, noting that attacks on healthcare facilities have now claimed more than 2,000 lives since the war began. WHO data indicates at least 2,036 deaths have resulted from over 200 such attacks.
The WHO has since moved to support local health systems by strengthening nearby facilities and deploying trauma supplies and essential medicines.
Tedros reiterated that healthcare must not be targeted, warning that such attacks have both immediate and long-term consequences for already vulnerable communities, and stressing that peace remains the only sustainable remedy.
