Sat Jan 25 18:05:34 IST 2025: **Dozens Killed in Drone Attack on Sudan Hospital Amidst Ongoing War**
EL-FASHER, SUDAN – A devastating drone strike on Friday targeted the Saudi Hospital in el-Fasher, North Darfur, killing at least 30 patients and injuring many more. Regional governor Mini Minawi reported even higher casualty figures, claiming over 70 deaths, including women and children. While responsibility remains unclear, medical sources indicate the hospital was previously struck by a Rapid Support Forces (RSF) drone.
The attack highlights the increasingly perilous situation in el-Fasher, where the Sudanese army and RSF are engaged in fierce fighting. The RSF has besieged the city since May, but army-aligned militias have repeatedly repelled their advances. The Saudi Hospital, described by Doctors Without Borders as the only functioning public hospital with surgical capacity in the area, has become a repeated target.
This latest incident is only the most recent in a series of attacks on healthcare facilities across the war-torn nation. Up to 80 percent of healthcare facilities are now out of service, according to official figures, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis. The conflict, which began in April 2023 over the integration of the army and RSF, has claimed tens of thousands of lives, displaced millions, and pushed half the population into hunger. Famine is already gripping three displacement camps near el-Fasher and is predicted to spread further.
The hospital attack comes as the Sudanese army claims to have broken the RSF siege of its headquarters in Khartoum and retaken the al-Jili oil refinery. However, the RSF dismissed these claims as propaganda. The ongoing conflict continues to destabilize the country, leaving its people vulnerable to violence and widespread suffering.
First Piper 