Sudan civil war: Drone attack on one of last functioning hospitals in North Darfur kills 67

A drone strike on one of the last functioning hospitals in El-Fasher, the capital of Sudan’s North Darfur state, killed 67 people and injured dozens, activists and a medical source as said on Saturday (January 25).

Earlier, a death toll of 30 was given.

The attack on the Saudi Hospital late Friday (January 24) destroyed the building used for treating emergency cases, according to the source, who spoke anonymously for fear of retaliation. It was not immediately clear which side in Sudan’s ongoing conflict was responsible for the strike.

Since April 2023, Sudan’s army has been engaged in a brutal war with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The RSF has seized much of the Darfur region but has been unable to capture El-Fasher, where pro-army militias have held them at bay since May.

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The hospital had previously been targeted by an RSF drone strike just weeks ago, the source said.

Health care in crisis

Attacks on health care facilities have become routine in El-Fasher. Earlier this month, the medical charity Doctors Without Borders described the Saudi Hospital as “the only public hospital with surgical capacity still standing” in the city.

Nationwide, up to 80 per cent of the health care facilities are no longer operational due to the conflict, according to official estimates.

It is not just healthcare that has been impacted. In 2024, 17 million children were out of school due to the civil war, according to UNICEF.

Education is a lifeline for children living through conflict.

In Sudan, however, 17 million children were out of school last year due to the ongoing war.@UNICEF reiterates its call for a ceasefire and the safe reopening of schools to protect children’s future. pic.twitter.com/0tAWNC2fhd

— United Nations (@UN) January 7, 2025

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The war has killed tens of thousands and displaced over 12 million people. Millions are now facing famine, with starvation already reported in three displacement camps—Zamzam, Abu Shouk, and Al-Salam—near El-Fasher.

A United Nations-backed assessment has warned that famine could spread to five additional areas, including El-Fasher itself, by May this year.

The conflict between Sudan’s military factions has plunged the country into a humanitarian disaster, with civilians bearing the brunt of indiscriminate violence and collapsing infrastructure.

With inputs from AFP