- Several patients, two nurses and a doctor among the dead.
- 89 people, including eight health personnel, were injured.
- The attack damages the pediatrics, maternity and emergency departments of the hospital.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Saturday that an attack on a hospital in East Darfur, Sudan, killed at least 64 people, including children, medical staff and patients, Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a post on X.
The WHO said Friday’s attack on Al Deain University Hospital left the facility out of operation, cutting off essential medical services in the city.
In a social media post, Ghebreyesus said several patients, two nurses and a doctor were also among those killed in the attack on Al Deain University Hospital in Al Deain, the capital of East Darfur state, on Friday night.
Another 89 people, including eight health personnel, were injured, he added.
The attack damaged the hospital’s pediatric, maternity and emergency departments, leaving the facility out of operation and cutting off essential medical services in the city.
“As a result of this tragedy, the total number of fatalities related to attacks on healthcare facilities during the Sudan war has now exceeded 2,000,” Tedros said, adding that during the nearly three years of conflict between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the WHO had confirmed the deaths of 2,036 people in 213 attacks on healthcare.
There was no immediate information on who was behind the attack.
The war between the army and the RSF broke out in mid-April 2023, unleashing a wave of violence that has led to one of the fastest-growing man-made humanitarian crises in the world, with tens of thousands of people killed and more than 12 million forced from their homes.
Both sides have been accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity, while RSF has been implicated in atrocities in Darfur that United Nations experts say have characteristics of genocide.
“Enough blood has been shed. Enough suffering has been inflicted,” Tedros said. “The time has come to de-escalate the conflict in Sudan and ensure the protection of civilians, health workers and humanitarian personnel.”
