Over 40 killed in Sudan hospital strike as conflict escalates: WHO Chief
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO Director-General, delivers his speech after inaugurating the WHO Academy campus, which promotes lifelong learning across the health sector, in Lyon, France December 17, 2024 Photo: REUTERS
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Over 40 people, including children and health care workers, were killed in an attack on a hospital in Sudan at the weekend, the head of the World Health Organization said on Tuesday.
Attack on the Al Mujlad Hospital took place in West Kordofan, near the front line between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, who have been fighting each other since the conflict broke out in April 2023.
WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called for attacks on health infrastructure to stop, without saying who was responsible.
Another appalling attack on health in #Sudan, this one in the Al Mujlad Hospital in West Kordofan, causing over 40 civilian deaths, including of children and health workers, and dozens of injuries.
We cannot say this louder: attacks on health must stop everywhere! #NotATarget — Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) June 24, 2025
The WHO Sudan office said that six children and five medics were killed in the attack, reporting extensive damage to the facility.
Emergency Lawyers, a human rights group, accused an army drone of striking the hospital on Saturday, but in a statement on Sunday, put the death toll at nine.
Read: ICJ dismisses Sudan's genocide case against UAE
Previously, multiple explosions and fires have been reported in Port Sudan, marking a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict between Sudan's army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The attacks, believed to be drone strikes launched by the RSF, targeted key infrastructure in the city, including fuel depots and a military base near the international airport.
Port Sudan, a vital Red Sea port and a refuge for displaced persons, had previously remained largely unaffected by the conflict.
However, the recent assaults have raised concerns about the safety of civilians and the potential disruption of humanitarian aid operations.
The United Nations and neighboring countries have condemned the attacks, urging all parties to respect international humanitarian law and protect civilian infrastructure.
Furthermore, International Court of Justice (ICJ) on May 5 dismissed Sudan's case accusing the United Arab Emirates of fueling genocide in Darfur by supplying weapons to paramilitary forces, saying it lacked jurisdiction.
Sudan had argued before the UN's top court last month that the UAE was violating the Genocide Convention by supporting paramilitary forces in Darfur, but the UAE said the case should be thrown out.
The court agreed with the UAE's arguments, rejected Sudan's request for emergency measures and ordered the case be removed from its docket.
Due to the lack of jurisdiction "the court is precluded by its statute from taking any position on the merits of the claims made by Sudan", a summary of the ruling said.
The UAE hailed it as a legal victory. "This decision is a clear and decisive affirmation of the fact that this case was utterly baseless.
The Sudanese civil war, which began in April 2023, has resulted in over 12 million displaced persons and widespread food insecurity.
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