A drone attack struck the Saudi Teaching Maternal Hospital, the only functional hospital in El Fasher, Sudan, on Friday, killing at least 70 people and injuring dozens, the World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Saturday.
In a post on X, Ghebreyesus said the hospital was filled with patients and their companions at the time of the attack.
The appalling attack on Saudi Hospital in El Fasher, #Sudan, led to 19 injuries and 70 deaths among patients and companions. At the time of the attack, the hospital was packed with patients receiving care.
The attack comes at a time when access to health care is already…
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) January 25, 2025
“As the only functional hospital in El Fasher, the Saudi Teaching Maternal Hospital provides services which include gyn-obstetrics, internal medicine, surgery and pediatrics, along with a nutrition stabilization centre,” Ghebreyesus said. “The attack comes at a time when access to health care is already severely constrained in the state due to the closure of health facilities following intense bombardments.”
The WHO chief said aside from the Saudi Teaching Maternal Hospital El Fasher, the MADO Health Facility in Al Malha, North Darfur, was also attacked, forcing a suspension of primary health care services for residents and displaced individuals.
He reiterated his call for an end to all attacks on healthcare in Sudan and urged the immediate restoration of full access to repair and rebuild the damaged facilities to help people in need of urgent health care.
Darfur Governor Mini Minnawi, alongside Sudan’s Foreign Ministry, accused the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of carrying out the recent attacks, alleging they were part of a broader offensive in the region. The RSF has denied responsibility, claiming the attack was the work of the Sudanese military and its allies. Neither claim has been independently verified.
Earlier this month, the U.S. government has determined that the RSF committed acts of genocide in Sudan, based on extensive evidence of the group’s escalating atrocities, including the systemic targeting of women and children, ethnic cleansing, and crimes against humanity.
