A devastating drone attack on a hospital in Sudan’s Darfur region has left 67 people dead and many others injured.
The attack occurred last Friday. Initially, it was reported that 30 people had been killed, but the death toll later rose to 67.
On Saturday night, January 25, news agencies AFP and Al Jazeera separately reported the incident.
Qatar-based news outlet Al Jazeera stated in its report that local workers and medical sources informed AFP on Saturday that 67 people had been killed and many more injured in Friday’s attack. The attack targeted one of the few operational hospitals in El Fasher, a city in Sudan’s Darfur region.
Regional Governor Minni Minawi posted graphic images of bloodied bodies on his X account on Saturday, claiming that over 70 patients, including women and children, were killed in the attack.
Sudan has been embroiled in a civil war for more than 18 months, and it is not immediately clear which side carried out the attack. The Sudanese Army is engaged in a conflict with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Since April 2023, the RSF has taken control of most of the vast western Darfur region. It has also besieged El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur province, since May last year. However, the coordinated armed groups supporting the army have repeatedly forced RSF fighters to retreat and prevented them from capturing the city. In such a situation, attacks on healthcare infrastructure in El Fasher have escalated significantly.
Charitable doctors providing medical care have stated that the Saudi Hospital in the area is currently the only government hospital capable of performing surgeries.
According to government statistics, up to 80% of healthcare infrastructure in the country has been forced to cease operations due to the ongoing conflict.
It is worth noting that the bloody conflict between the Sudanese Army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) over power broke out on April 15, 2023.
The fighting between the two forces has so far claimed thousands of lives and forced millions to flee their homes.