Sun Jan 26 11:48:08 IST 2025: ## 70 Killed in Attack on Sudan Hospital: WHO
**Dubai, January 26, 2025** – At least 70 people were killed and 19 injured in an attack on the Saudi Teaching Maternal Hospital in El Fasher, Sudan, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported Sunday. The hospital, the only functioning facility in the besieged city, was packed with patients at the time of the attack.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus confirmed the casualty figures on X (formerly Twitter), stating the attack is “appalling” and calling for a cessation of all attacks on healthcare facilities in Sudan. While local officials blame the rebel Rapid Support Forces (RSF) for the assault, the WHO did not explicitly name the perpetrators.
The attack comes amidst escalating violence in Sudan’s ongoing civil war. The RSF, which has reportedly suffered battlefield losses to the Sudanese military, is accused of besieging El Fasher for months, leading to widespread suffering and human rights abuses. The United Nations has previously warned of a dire humanitarian situation in the city, estimating over 782 civilian deaths and 1,140 injuries since May 2024 due to the siege. El Fasher, now home to over one million people, many displaced by the war, is located approximately 800 kilometers southwest of Khartoum.
International efforts to mediate the conflict, including U.S. sanctions and accusations of genocide against the RSF, have proven ineffective in halting the fighting, which has already claimed over 28,000 lives and displaced millions. The conflict, which began in April 2023, is rooted in the power struggle between Sudan’s military chief, General Abdel-Fattah Burhan, and RSF leader General Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo. The war’s devastating consequences include widespread famine, forcing some families to resort to eating grass to survive.
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