Dozens killed in drone attack on hospital in Sudan’s Darfur region

A drone strike on a hospital in Sudan’s Darfur region killed at least 67 people and injured dozens more, local activists and a medical source confirmed on Saturday.

The attack occurred on Friday at one of the last remaining functional hospitals in el-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur.

"Thirty-seven of those injured in the drone strike yesterday died today, bringing the number of victims up to 67," a medical source told AFP, requesting anonymity for fear of retaliation. .

IT remains unclear which side in the ongoing conflict between Sudan’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) was responsible for the attack.

The Sudanese army has been engaged in conflict with the RSF since April 2023, and RSF fighters have seized nearly the entire Darfur region, including a siege of el-Fasher since May 2023.

However, army-aligned militias have repeatedly pushed back the RSF, preventing the group from taking control of the city.

Healthcare facilities in el-Fasher have been severely impacted by the conflict. Medical charity Doctors Without Borders reported this month that the Saudi Hospital in el-Fasher is "the only public hospital with surgical capacity still standing" in the area.

Across Sudan, up to 80 percent of healthcare facilities are no longer operational, according to official figures.

The war, sparked by disputes over the integration of Sudan’s army and RSF, has caused tens of thousands of deaths, displaced millions, and exacerbated a humanitarian crisis.

Famine has already affected three displacement camps near el-Fasher – Zamzam, Abu Shouk, and Al-Salam – with five more areas, including the city itself, expected to face food shortages by May, according to a UN-backed assessment.

The drone strike on the hospital in el-Fasher comes as the Sudanese army claimed to have broken a siege of its headquarters in Khartoum, the capital.

The army stated that troops in Khartoum North and Omdurman “merged with our forces stationed at the General Command of the Armed Forces.” Additionally, the army claimed to have "expelled" the RSF from the al-Jili oil refinery, the largest in Sudan, located north of Khartoum.

However, the RSF rejected these claims, calling them "propaganda" intended to boost morale. The RSF accused the Sudanese army of spreading false information through doctored videos.

The ongoing conflict in Sudan has left the country in a state of severe instability, with both sides continuing to dispute key victoriesa nd control.