An attack on the Saudi Hospital in El-Fasher, a besieged town in western Sudan, has left 70 people dead and 19 injured, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported on Sunday.
WHO Director General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus condemned the incident in a post on X, describing it as “appalling.” He noted that the hospital was packed with patients at the time of the attack, further exacerbating the tragedy.
In a rare public statement addressing the targeting of healthcare facilities in Sudan, Saudi Arabia also condemned the attack, labeling it a “violation of international law and international humanitarian law.” The kingdom called for the protection of medical and humanitarian workers, urged restraint, and emphasized the need to avoid targeting civilians.
The attack occurred amidst a brutal conflict that has ravaged Sudan since April 2023. The war pits army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan against his former deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, leader of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). In Darfur, where El-Fasher is located, the RSF has laid siege to the city since May, while militia forces aligned with the army have repelled multiple assaults.
AFP reported that it could not independently verify which of the warring factions was responsible for the attack on the hospital.
The ongoing conflict has plunged Sudan into a humanitarian catastrophe. Tens of thousands of people have been killed, and over 12 million have been displaced. Famine is spreading across parts of the country, with desperate families in western and southern regions resorting to eating grass and animal fodder to survive.
This latest tragedy underscores the devastating toll of the war on Sudan’s civilian population, with healthcare facilities increasingly becoming casualties of the conflict.
