In brief
On Eid al-Fitr, a drone attack on el-Daein Teaching Hospital in East Darfur led to the tragic deaths of 64 individuals, including children, nurses, and a doctor. The World Health Organization criticized the violence affecting medical facilities and called for an end to the conflict that has resulted in over 150,000 fatalities since its onset.
Sudan's army has denied it carried out a deadly attack on a major hospital on Friday night in a city in the west of the country held by its rivals, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said 64 people - including 13 children, two nurses and a doctor - had died in the strike on el-Daein Teaching Hospital and 89 others had been wounded.Enough blood has been spilled, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus posted on X, urging the warring parties to end the conflict, which started nearly three years ago. The RSF said an army drone had hit the hospital in el-Daein, the capital of East Darfur state, on the day Muslims were marking the festival of Eid.Sudan was plunged into a civil war in April 2023 when a vicious struggle for power broke out between the military and the RSF, who had once been allies after coming to power in a coup in 2021. More than 150,000 people have since died in the conflict and about 12 million have fled their homes - nearly a third of the country's population - in what the United Nations has called the world's largest humanitarian crisis.Dr. Tedros condemned the frequent targeting of medical facilities, stating that 2,036 people have been killed in 213 attacks on healthcare during the conflict. He emphasized that health care should never be a target and that peace is crucial. In a statement, the RSF confirmed the hospital's top floor was destroyed, severely damaging medical equipment and services.The military, meanwhile, expressed surprise at the accusations, claiming they adhere to international norms and laws. Calls for an independent investigation into the attack are ongoing, highlighting the dire need for accountability in this escalating humanitarian nightmare.
