Strike on Sudan hospital kills at least 64, including 13 children
A strike on Al Deain Teaching Hospital in East Darfur killed 64 people and wounded 89 more, the WHO reported Saturday.
12:50 AM
At least 64 people were killed in a strike on Al Deain Teaching Hospital in East Darfur, Sudan, on Friday, according to the World Health Organization. The dead included 13 children, two female nurses, one male doctor, and multiple patients, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Saturday.
Another 89 people were wounded in the attack, including eight health staff members. The strike damaged the hospital's paediatric, maternity, and emergency departments, rendering the facility non-functional and cutting off essential medical services in Al Deain, the capital of East Darfur state.
Sudanese rights group Emergency Lawyers, which documents atrocities in the conflict between Sudan's army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, attributed the strike to a Sudanese army drone. The WHO's surveillance system for attacks marked Friday's incident as "confirmed" and recorded it as involving "violence with heavy weapons" that affected a secondary health care facility, medical personnel, patients, supplies, and storage.
The attack represents one incident in a broader pattern of strikes on health facilities during Sudan's civil war. Since the conflict began in April 2023, the WHO has confirmed more than 2,000 deaths linked to attacks on health facilities across more than 200 incidents. The total number of fatalities from such attacks has now reached 2,036, according to the WHO.
Tedros called for an end to the violence in a statement posted on social media. "Enough blood has been spilled. Enough suffering has been inflicted. The time has come to de-escalate the conflict in Sudan and ensure the protection of civilians, health workers, and humanitarians," he said. "Health care should never be a target."
The UN's humanitarian office in Sudan said it was "appalled by the attack on a hospital in East Darfur yesterday, reportedly killing dozens, including children, and injuring more." The RSF dominates the vast western Darfur region, while the army controls Sudan's east, centre, and north.