deadly strike on a hospital in East Darfur has intensified pressure on General al-Burhan’s army (SAF), as competing narratives emerge over responsibility for the attack that killed dozens and disrupted healthcare for millions.
The incident, which targeted al-Daein hospital last week, left at least 70 people dead and 146 injured, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The strike also deprived more than two million people across Darfur of access to essential medical services.
The United States has directly blamed SAF for the attack. US presidential adviser for Arab and African affairs Massad Boulos condemned the strike, saying an air raid carried out by the army caused heavy civilian casualties.
In a post on X, Boulos said the strike had deprived civilians of critical medical care and warned that continued fighting was worsening humanitarian conditions. He renewed calls for a ceasefire and humanitarian access to treat the wounded.
SAF junta-run Foreign Ministry swiftly rejected the accusation.
In a statement on Thursday, the SAF-controlled authorities said the remarks were issued “without verification or proper investigation,” warning they could undermine efforts toward peace and stability.
The ministry described the comments as lacking “accuracy and objectivity,” and accused regional backers of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of pushing a political agenda.
Local sources, including the Emergency Lawyers group, have accused SAF of carrying out the strike using a drone.
Throughout the war, SAF has repeatedly denied responsibility for attacks on civilian infrastructure, routinely shifting blame onto RSF forces.
The WHO described the attack as “horrific,” noting that the dead included women, children and medical staff. Among those killed were seven women, 13 children, a doctor and two nurses.
Hala Khudari, WHO’s deputy representative, said the hospital sustained severe damage, particularly in outpatient and emergency departments.
“An attack on a hospital is not just an attack on a building,” she said. “It is an attack on people seeking care, on health workers risking their lives, and on the chance of survival in times of crisis.”
The hospital strike is part of a broader pattern of escalating drone warfare in Sudan’s conflict.
On Thursday, medical sources reported at least 28 civilians killed in separate drone strikes in North Darfur and North Kordofan. One strike hit a market in Saraf Omra, killing 22 people, including an infant, and injuring 17 others after a fuel truck ignited, witnesses said.
Another strike hundreds of kilometres east in North Kordofan hit a vehicle on a highway, leaving six dead — three of them burned beyond recognition — and 10 injured, according to hospital sources in al-Rahad.
Drone attacks have become a defining feature of the war since it erupted in April 2023, frequently causing mass civilian casualties.
The United Nations said earlier this week that more than 500 civilians were killed in drone strikes between January and mid-March, most of them in the strategic Kordofan region.
Despite the rising toll, there has been little sign of meaningful international action to halt the violence, which rights groups say may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.
