This image grab taken from AFPTV video footage on April 20, 2023, shows an aerial view of black smoke rising above the Khartoum International Airport amid ongoing battles between the forces of two rival generals. (Photo by AFP) (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)
(EPICSTORIAN) – At least 70 people were killed late Friday when a drone strike hit the Saudi Teaching Maternal Hospital, the only remaining operational medical facility in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur.
The attack, which targeted the hospital’s emergency department, has drawn international condemnation, with the World Health Organization (WHO) warning of a deepening humanitarian disaster in the war-torn region.
The Darfur Governor, Mini Minnawi, directly accused the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of carrying out the deadly assault. “It exterminated all the patients who were inside it,” Minnawi stated, denouncing the strike as a deliberate act of violence against civilians.
Sudan’s Foreign Minister Condemned The Drone Strike
Sudan’s Foreign Ministry also held the RSF responsible, calling the incident a “massacre” and confirming that most victims were women and children seeking medical care. “More than 70 civilians receiving treatment were victims when the militia attacked the hospital’s accident department with drones,” the ministry stated.
The Accused as Outrage Grows
The RSF, which controls large parts of Darfur, has not issued any response to the allegations. This silence comes despite increasing scrutiny over its military tactics and previous attacks on civilian infrastructure.
The Saudi Teaching Maternal Hospital was already hit by an airstrike in August, which struck the surgical ward, killing a patient’s caretaker and injuring five others.
The WHO Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, strongly condemned the attack, emphasizing its devastating impact on the region’s already fragile healthcare system. “This comes at a time when access to health care is already severely constrained,” he said, urging all warring factions to respect medical neutrality.
“Above all, Sudan’s people need peace. The best medicine is peace,” Ghebreyesus added, stressing the urgency of ending hostilities that have crippled Sudan’s medical services.
A Health System on the Brink of Collapse
The destruction of North Darfur’s last functioning hospital leaves thousands without critical medical care amid an ongoing conflict that has displaced millions. Humanitarian organizations have repeatedly warned that Sudan’s health system is at risk of total collapse, with hospitals, clinics, and aid facilities frequently targeted in the fighting.
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Since war erupted between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the RSF in April 2023, Sudan has plunged into one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. The UN estimates that over nine million people have been displaced, with limited access to food, water, and medical care.
