Photograph: WHO
At least 64 people, including 13 children, have been killed in an attack on a hospital in Sudan’s Darfur region, as violence continues to devastate the already collapsing healthcare system.
The strike hit Al Deain Teaching Hospital in the capital of East Darfur state, with the World Health Organization confirming that patients and medical staff were among those killed.
According to the WHO, those killed included two nurses, a doctor and multiple patients, while a further 89 people were injured, among them healthcare workers. The hospital’s paediatric, maternity and emergency departments were also damaged in the attack, rendering the facility largely non-functional.
The strike took place on Friday night and is believed to have been carried out as part of ongoing military operations linked to Sudan’s civil war, which has raged since 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. Reports from rights groups indicated that a military drone may have been responsible for the attack, though attribution remains contested.
The latest assault adds to a growing list of attacks on healthcare facilities across Sudan, with the WHO warning that thousands have been killed in incidents targeting hospitals since the conflict began.
Across the country, the war has pushed Sudan into one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. Millions have been displaced, while vast parts of the healthcare system have been destroyed or rendered inoperable. In many conflict-affected areas, the majority of hospitals are no longer functioning, leaving civilians without access to basic medical care.
Attacks on hospitals have become a recurring feature of the conflict. Medical facilities have been struck by air raids, shelled during fighting, and in some cases directly targeted while patients and staff were inside.
“Enough blood has been spilled,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the WHO.
“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. Health care should never be a target. Peace is the best medicine.”
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