Khartoum, January 26, 2025: The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported a devastating attack on the Saudi Hospital in El-Fasher, a besieged town in western Sudan, which claimed 70 lives and left 19 others injured.
“The appalling attack on Saudi Hospital in El-Fasher resulted in 70 deaths and 19 injuries among patients and their companions,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated on social media platform X. He noted the hospital was filled with patients receiving treatment at the time of the assault.
Saudi Arabia condemned the attack as a “violation of international law and international humanitarian law,” calling for the protection of medical and humanitarian workers and urging restraint to prevent civilian casualties.
Sudan has been embroiled in a brutal conflict since April 2023, pitting army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan against Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, leader of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). In Darfur, the RSF has besieged El-Fasher since May, although allied militias have managed to repel several attempts to seize the city.
The identity of the attackers remains unverified, as independent confirmation of the incident has not been possible.
The ongoing conflict has plunged Sudan into a humanitarian catastrophe, with tens of thousands killed and over 12 million displaced. Parts of the country, particularly in the west and south, face famine-like conditions, forcing desperate families to survive on grass and animal fodder.
This attack highlights the growing dangers to healthcare facilities and the need for international action to address the worsening crisis in Sudan.
