Sudan hospital drone strike kills at least 64, WHO says

A drone attack on a hospital in East Darfur, Sudan, has killed at least 64 people and injured 89 more, the World Health Organisation (WHO) reported on Saturday.

Victims included children and medical staff, and the attack has put the facility out of service.

The United Nations (UN) humanitarian office in Sudan described the attack as “appalling,” saying it reportedly killed dozens, including children, and left many injured.

A Sudanese rights group, Emergency Lawyers, said the strike was carried out by the army on El Daein Teaching Hospital, located in the Rapid Support Forces (RSF)-controlled state capital of East Darfur. The RSF controls much of western Darfur, while the army controls Sudan’s east, centre and north.

WHO confirmed the incident through its surveillance system, noting that it involved heavy weapons and affected patients, medical staff, supplies, and hospital infrastructure. The agency does not assign blame but tracks attacks on healthcare worldwide.

East Darfur has faced regular army attacks as the government seeks to push the RSF back towards its strongholds. Recent strikes on the city have included drone attacks on markets, which have sparked fires burning for hours.

Drone strikes have become a frequent feature of Sudan’s war, particularly in southern Kordofan, killing dozens at a time. UN human rights chief Volker Türk said the warring parties continue to deploy “increasingly powerful drones with wide-area impacts in populated areas.”

Hospitals have been frequent targets throughout the conflict. By December, more than 1,800 people had been killed in attacks on health facilities, including 173 health workers. This year alone, 12 attacks on healthcare have killed 178 people and injured 237 others.

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The ongoing war has killed tens of thousands and forced more than 11 million people from their homes, fuelling what the UN calls the world’s largest displacement and hunger crisis, with over 33 million people in need of humanitarian aid.

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