In war-torn Sudan, drone attack kills 9, injures 20 others: WHO

A drone attack on the main hospital in El-Fasher, a city in western Sudan, killed nine people and wounded 20 others, forcing the facility to cease operations, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said Saturday (December 14).

In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus condemned the attack. “Continued attacks on health across Sudan are deplorable,” he wrote, calling for the protection of patients and health workers. “All attacks on and around health facilities must stop,” he added.

The attack, which occurred early Friday (December 13) morning, targeted the Saudi Hospital, a maternity facility in El-Fasher, with four drone-guided missiles, according to a statement by Sudan’s army-aligned Health Ministry. The missiles struck areas where patients’ companions had gathered and key sections of the hospital, including wards, pharmacies, and the operating room.

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A doctor at the hospital, speaking anonymously due to restrictions on media engagement, confirmed the facility had completely ceased operations following the strike.

Fierce clashes in El-Fasher

El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, has been under siege by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since May. The city has witnessed some of the most intense fighting in the ongoing conflict between the RSF and Sudan’s army, which began in April 2023. Both factions are vying for control of Darfur and other strategic regions, including the capital, Khartoum, located 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) east of El-Fasher.

A local aid committee said the attack had destroyed critical hospital infrastructure, compounding the dire humanitarian crisis in the region.

Worsening humanitarian crisis

The war between the RSF and the army has plunged Sudan into chaos, killing tens of thousands of people and displacing more than 11 million. The United Nations has described the situation as one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters in recent memory.

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In a separate incident on Tuesday, a Sudanese military airstrike on a market in North Darfur killed more than 100 people, according to a pro-democracy lawyers’ group.

Nearly all of Darfur is now under RSF control, while the army retains hold over parts of northern and eastern Sudan. Both sides have been accused of indiscriminately targeting civilians and medical facilities, as well as bombing residential areas.

The attack on the Saudi Hospital underscores the growing toll on healthcare facilities in Sudan, as both warring factions continue to violate international humanitarian norms.