A deadly paramilitary attack on a hospital in Sudan’s El-Fasher, located in the western Darfur region, claimed the lives of 70 people, including patients receiving critical care. United Nations condemned the assault on the Saudi Teaching Maternal Hospital, which local officials attributed to the rebel group Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The attack took place as the RSF faced mounting battlefield losses to Sudanese military forces led by General Abdel-Fattah Burhan, including a recent seizure of an oil refinery by Burhan’s forces.
The attack on the hospital, the only operational medical facility in El-Fasher, is being described as a grave violation of international humanitarian law. Clementine Nkweta-Salami, the UN’s humanitarian coordinator in Sudan, condemned the “shocking disregard for human life,” demanding immediate cessation of attacks on civilians and infrastructure. The hospital’s emergency building was destroyed in the drone strike on Friday evening, while patients were being treated.
World Health Organization head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus expressed outrage over the attack, calling it “appalling” and reaffirming the call for protection of healthcare facilities in conflict zones. Saudi Arabia also denounced the strike, labelling it a violation of international law and urging self-restraint from all parties involved in the conflict.
Sudan’s ongoing war, which erupted in April 2023 between Burhan’s military and the RSF, has led to catastrophic casualties, with over 28,000 dead and millions displaced. Both sides are accused of committing atrocities, particularly in the Darfur region, where the RSF and allied militias are targeting ethnic African groups. The war has caused widespread famine, and survivors are resorting to desperate measures to sustain themselves.
In recent developments, Burhan visited Sudan’s General Command headquarters in Khartoum, emphasizing his resolve to end the rebellion across Sudan.