At least 64 people, including 13 children, were killed in an attack last week on Al Daein Teaching Hospital in East Darfur, the World Health Organization reported Saturday. The strike also wounded at least 89 people and left the hospital unable to operate, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on X.
Sudan has been engulfed in violence since April 2023, when a power struggle between the national military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) escalated into nationwide fighting. The RSF has accused the military of carrying out the hospital strike. The army has denied responsibility; two military officials, speaking anonymously because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly, said the attack was aimed at a nearby police station.
The conflict has produced a catastrophic human toll. United Nations figures place the death count at more than 40,000, though aid organizations warn that number likely underestimates the true scale of fatalities. The WHO has additionally reported that more than 2,000 people have been killed in attacks on medical facilities since the war began, further eroding health services across the country.
Condemning the latest assault, Tedros said the violence must stop, noting that too much blood has already been shed and urging steps to de-escalate the conflict in Sudan. The strike on Al Daein underscores the growing risks faced by civilians and humanitarian workers as the fighting continues.