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70 Killed in Attack on Hospital in Sudan’s Darfur Region
Around 70 people were killed in an attack on the only functional hospital in El Fasher, a city in Sudan’s Darfur region, the World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus confirmed on Sunday. The attack, which targeted the Saudi Teaching Maternal Hospital, comes amid escalating violence in Sudan's civil war.
Local officials have blamed the attack on the rebel group, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which has been engaged in intense fighting with Sudanese military forces led by General Abdel-Fattah Burhan. In recent days, Burhan’s forces reportedly seized a key oil refinery north of Khartoum from the RSF. Despite international mediation efforts and U.S. sanctions against Burhan, the fighting has continued unabated.
The WHO’s Ghebreyesus shared the casualty toll on social media, noting that the hospital was filled with patients at the time of the assault. In addition to the 70 dead, 19 others were injured. Ghebreyesus condemned the attack, emphasizing the need for an end to violence targeting healthcare facilities and urgent restoration of damaged medical infrastructure in Sudan.
The RSF had previously warned of a planned offensive in El Fasher, which has been under siege since May 2024. The city, located over 800 kilometers from Khartoum, has seen significant civilian casualties and human rights abuses during the conflict, with at least 782 killed and more than 1,140 wounded by December 2024, according to the UN. However, the actual figures are likely higher.
The Saudi hospital, situated near the frontlines, has been repeatedly shelled, with staff performing surgeries in unsafe conditions, sometimes by the light of mobile phones. Despite this, doctors have continued treating patients, often at great personal risk.
While the RSF has not officially acknowledged the attack, the group has been blamed for previous violence in the region. Sudan's ongoing conflict, which began in April 2023 between the RSF and the Sudanese military, has claimed over 28,000 lives and displaced millions. Famine and extreme conditions have worsened the humanitarian crisis, with some families resorting to eating grass to survive.
The RSF, once part of a militia known as the Janjaweed responsible for genocidal actions in Darfur under former dictator Omar al-Bashir, is now accused of similar crimes against ethnic African groups in Sudan. Despite international efforts to mediate peace, the war continues to devastate the country, with no immediate resolution in sight.