
The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) has called for an immediate end to attacks on healthcare workers and facilities in Sudan, following a devastating drone strike that killed over 70 people and injured dozens at a hospital in North Darfur.
The attack on Friday targeted the Saudi Teaching Maternal Hospital in El Fasher, the region’s capital, which serves as the only operational hospital in the area.
The facility provides vital services, including gynecology, obstetrics, internal medicine, surgery, pediatrics, and a nutrition stabilization center, according to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Tedros condemned the violence, stating, “We continue to call for a cessation of all attacks on health care in Sudan and to allow full access for the swift restoration of the facilities that have been damaged.”
The ongoing conflict between General al-Burha’s army (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which began in April 2023 over disputes surrounding their integration, has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and forced millions to flee their homes.
Half of Sudan’s population now faces severe hunger, and the conflict has triggered waves of ethnically driven violence.
Fierce clashes have continued in El Fasher between the RSF and a coalition of forces, including the SAF, Islamist groups, and local defense units, exacerbating an already dire humanitarian crisis in the region.