A devastating strike on a hospital in Sudan's East Darfur region has killed at least 64 people and wounded 89 others, the World Health Organization reported on Saturday. Among the victims were children and medical personnel, raising fresh alarm over the targeting of civilian infrastructure amid the country's ongoing conflict.
The World Health Organization confirmed the death toll following a drone attack carried out by the Sudanese army on the healthcare facility. The United Nations' humanitarian office in Sudan had previously reported on the incident before the WHO released its updated figures, underscoring the severity of the assault.
The attack represents one of the deadliest single strikes on a medical facility since Sudan descended into a brutal civil war in April 2023. Fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces has since claimed tens of thousands of lives and triggered what the United Nations has described as one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.
Darfur, located in western Sudan, has been among the hardest-hit regions in the conflict, with reports of widespread atrocities committed against civilian populations. The area has a long and painful history of violence, having been the site of a devastating conflict in the early 2000s that drew international condemnation and resulted in genocide charges against former Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir.
The striking of medical facilities is prohibited under international humanitarian law, and health organizations have repeatedly warned that attacks on hospitals are depriving millions of Sudanese civilians of desperately needed medical care. The WHO has documented numerous incidents of healthcare infrastructure being damaged or destroyed since the war began.
Aid agencies operating in the region have faced enormous difficulties accessing conflict zones to deliver food, medicine, and other essential supplies. The destruction of a functioning hospital in East Darfur is expected to further compound the already dire humanitarian situation in an area where medical resources are critically scarce.
The international community has faced growing pressure to take stronger action to protect civilians and hold those responsible for attacks on civilian infrastructure accountable. Saturday's report from the WHO is likely to intensify those calls as the death toll from Sudan's catastrophic conflict continues to mount.
