70 people killed in attack on hospital in #Sudan's Darfur region: #UN

A drone attack on a hospital in El-Fasher, the capital of Sudan's North #Darfur state, has killed 70 people, including patients receiving critical care, the United Nations reported. The attack, reportedly carried out by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (#RSF), destroyed the hospital’s emergency building, according to a medical source.

Clementine Nkweta-Salami, the UN’s resident and humanitarian coordinator in Sudan, called the incident “a shocking violation of international humanitarian law.” She added, “The deliberate targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure needs to cease immediately, and those responsible must be held accountable.”

The World Health Organization described the assault as “appalling.” Its director, Tedros Adhanom, said the attack occurred while “the hospital was packed with patients receiving care,” urging all parties to ensure “full access for the swift restoration of the facilities that have been damaged.”

El-Fasher has been under siege by the RSF since May, as the group seeks to gain control of the last remaining state capital in Darfur not under their rule. The conflict, which began in April 2023, has devastated Sudan’s health care system, leaving 80 percent of hospitals inoperable in conflict zones.