An attack on a hospital in Sudan’s Darfur region has claimed the lives of at least 64 people, including 13 children, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus reported on Saturday that the Friday night strike on al-Daein Teaching Hospital in al-Daein, East Darfur, also killed multiple patients, two female nurses, and one male doctor. Another 89 people, including eight healthcare staff, were wounded.
The attack severely damaged the hospital’s paediatric, maternity, and emergency departments, rendering it nonfunctional and cutting off essential medical services in the city.
“This tragedy pushes the total fatalities linked to attacks on health facilities during Sudan’s conflict past 2,000,” Tedros said, noting that over nearly three years of fighting between Sudan’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the WHO has verified 2,036 deaths in 213 attacks on healthcare.
Sudanese rights group the Emergency Lawyers reported that an army drone strike hit the hospital. The war, which erupted in April 2023, has caused one of the world’s fastest-growing humanitarian crises, with tens of thousands killed, over 12 million displaced, and more than 33 million people in need of aid.
The RSF dominates Darfur in western Sudan, while the army controls the east, centre, and north. Both sides have faced accusations of war crimes, with the RSF implicated in atrocities in Darfur described by UN experts as bearing the hallmarks of genocide.
Friday’s strike involved “violence with heavy weapons” affecting not only the hospital, staff, and patients but also medical supplies and storage, according to the WHO’s Surveillance System for Attacks on Health Care (SSA).
SSA figures show that attacks on healthcare are growing deadlier: in 2023, 64 attacks caused 38 deaths; in 2024, 72 attacks caused 200 deaths; and in 2025, 65 attacks caused 1,620 deaths—accounting for 82% of reported deaths from attacks on healthcare worldwide.
Near-daily drone attacks have become a hallmark of Sudan’s brutal war. UN rights chief Volker Turk condemned the use of explosive drones in populated areas, noting that over 200 civilians were killed in just eight days this month.
Tedros urged protection for civilians, health workers, and humanitarians, stating, “Healthcare should never be a target. Peace is the best medicine.”
