CAIRO — A strike on a hospital in Sudan’s war‑torn Darfur region has killed at least 70 people, including women and children, and left millions of civilians without proper medical care, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said.
The attack hit Al Daein Teaching Hospital in the city of El Daein in East Darfur on Friday, rendering the facility completely non‑functional. Once a vital health centre for the region, the hospital served hundreds of thousands of people from the city and surrounding districts.
The WHO, which has described the strike as part of the wider destruction of health infrastructure in Sudan, reported on Wednesday that 70 people had died and 146 were injured when the hospital was hit. The toll included at least 13 children and seven women, the UN agency said.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director‑General of the WHO, said the strike had taken a critical medical facility out of service in a region already struggling with limited access to healthcare. The WHO has previously said that more than 2,000 people have died in attacks on medical facilities since the conflict began.
Sudan has been locked in conflict since April 2023, when a power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) exploded into a nationwide war. The fighting has caused widespread suffering, with United Nations figures estimating more than 40,000 people killed, though aid groups say the real toll may be much higher.
The RSF has blamed the Sudanese military for the hospital strike, but the army has denied responsibility. Two military officials, speaking anonymously because they were not authorised to speak publicly, told news agencies that the strike was aimed at a nearby police station and that the hospital was hit accidentally.
The attack has drawn international condemnation. Humanitarian organisations say that attacks on health facilities are violations of international law and deepen the suffering of civilians who already face shortages of food, medicine and essential services. The hospital’s destruction means that more than 2 million people in Darfur are now without adequate medical care, according to WHO officials.
“Millions of people in Darfur have lost their primary health care,” one senior aid official said, urging warring parties to protect medical facilities and civilians. Satellite imagery analysed by humanitarian researchers shows extensive damage to the hospital’s emergency and outpatient wards, with rubble and destruction across the compound.
The loss of the hospital comes amid reports that many of Sudan’s health centres have closed or been destroyed during the conflict. Aid groups have documented repeated attacks on medical facilities by both sides, further undermining access to health care in a country where hospitals were often already under‑resourced before the war.
Civil society organisations in Sudan have expressed shock at the scale of the violence. The CARE international charity said it was “deeply concerned” by the strike and called for an immediate halt to attacks on health facilities.
Residents of El Daein and surrounding areas say they are struggling to cope with the loss of the hospital. Many who were treated there for chronic illnesses, injuries or emergency care now face long journeys to distant health centres. In some cases, the nearest alternative medical facility is more than 100 miles away.
Local families described scenes of chaos and despair after the strike. One witness said that dozens of people, including entire families, were brought out of the rubble and that hospitals nearby were overwhelmed with the wounded. Others said the attack happened during a busy time, making the human toll even more devastating.
The war in Sudan has also displaced millions, leaving families without homes and forcing many to seek refuge in camps with little access to basic services. Aid agencies warn that without an end to violence, the crisis will continue to worsen.
In response to the hospital strike, international actors have called for de‑escalation and respect for humanitarian law. WHO chief Tedros said the world must urgently protect hospitals, health workers and patients, and ensure that civilians are spared from further harm.
As of this week, the conflict shows no sign of abating, and many Sudanese are left to grapple with the consequences of what aid groups have called an unprecedented assault on health infrastructure. The destruction of Al Daein Teaching Hospital marks yet another chapter in Sudan’s long and brutal crisis, leaving families mourning their dead and communities without essential medical services.
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