At least 64 people, including 13 children, were killed in a strike on a hospital in Sudan’s western Darfur region last week, the World Health Organization said Saturday.
The WHO said the strike hit the Al Daein Teaching Hospital in East Darfur on Friday, and that at least 89 people were also injured. The WHO said the hospital was rendered non-functional. In a post on X, WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus called for de-escalation, saying, “Enough blood has been spilled. Enough suffering has been inflicted. The time has come to de-escalate the conflict in Sudan.”
The WHO’s remarks came as fighting in Sudan continues to spread from the earlier outbreak of chaos in April 2023, when a power struggle between the military and the rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces escalated into war across the country.
The RSF blamed the military for the strike on the hospital, according to the report. The Sudanese army denied the attack, but two military officials told the Associated Press that they believed the strike was targeting a nearby police station.
The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because they said they were not allowed to discuss the matter openly.
The report said the war has killed more than 40,000 people, according to U.N. figures, though aid groups have said the true death toll could be many times higher. The WHO also said that more than 2,000 people have been killed in attacks on medical facilities since the start of the war.