Sudan: Over 60 killed in strike on hospital, WHO says

Khartoum: At least 64 people were killed in a strike on a hospital in East Darfur, Sudan, the head of the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said.

The dead from Friday's attack include 13 children, medical staff and multiple patients, WHO director-general Tedros ​Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Saturday night.

In a post on X, Tedros said the attack on the Al Deain Teaching Hospital had rendered it "non-functional." 

He said 89 people had also been wounded in the attack, which rights group Emergency Lawyers attributed to a Sudanese army drone strike.

Tedros said that more than 2,000 people have now been killed in over 200 attacks on health facilities since the start of the civil war in Sudan in April 2023.

"Enough blood has been spilled. Enough suffering has been inflicted. The time has come to de-escalate the conflict in Sudan and ensure the protection of civilians, health workers, and humanitarians," the WHO director said.

"Health care should never be a target. Peace is the best medicine," he added.

The war in Sudan broke out in April 2023, when a power struggle over the integration of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) into the Sudanese army escalated.

Global aid organisations estimate that up to 250,000 people have been killed so far, while up to 14 million people have been displaced, and about half of the country's population faces hunger.

The fighting also triggered the world's largest humanitarian crisis, including mass killings and widespread sexual violence.

The RSF controls western Sudan's huge Darfur region, with the army controlling the east, center and north of the country.

Sudan's army has regularly attacked El Daein, which is under RSF control and is where the hospital that was struck on Friday is located.