Sudan Hospital Attack Kills 64, WHO Chief Condemns Violence
WHO Chief condemns Sudan hospital attack killing 64 civilians.
A devastating strike on El-Daein Teaching Hospital claimed at least 64 lives, including 13 children, two female nurses, and one male doctor, as reported by World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.The attack occurred on Friday, March 20, 2026, rendering the hospital's pediatric, maternity, and emergency departments inoperable and wounding 89 others, among them eight health staff. Sudanese rights group Emergency Lawyers attributed the strike to an army drone, while the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which controls much of Darfur, blamed Sudan's military. The army denied targeting the facility, with officials claiming a nearby police station was the intended objective.
Tedros announced the casualties on X, declaring, "Enough blood has been spilled," and urging an immediate de-escalation of Sudan's nearly three-year civil war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and RSF. This conflict, which erupted in April 2023 after a power struggle between rival generals, has devastated healthcare infrastructure across the country.
The incident marks a grim milestone, pushing WHO-verified deaths from attacks on medical facilities past 2,000 since the war's outset—specifically 2,036 fatalities in 213 assaults. El-Daein Teaching Hospital, now fully non-functional, provided critical care in East Darfur's capital amid ongoing clashes in the Darfur region. WHO is scaling up support at nearby facilities, deploying trauma supplies and medicines to address the urgent gaps.
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Sudan's war has killed over 40,000 people by UN estimates, though aid groups warn the true toll could be far higher due to disrupted reporting. Darfur, scene of genocide in the early 2000s, faces renewed ethnic violence, with RSF dominance in the west contrasting SAF control in the east. Friday's strike exacerbates a humanitarian crisis displacing millions and straining global aid efforts.Tedros's plea underscores international outrage, echoing UN rights chief Volker Türk's recent condemnation of healthcare attacks. As fighting persists, calls grow for a ceasefire to restore access and prevent further atrocities in one of the world's most neglected conflicts.
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