At least 70 people have been killed in an attack on the only functional hospital in the besieged city of El Fasher in Sudan, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Monday.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced the death toll from the hospital attack in El Fasher in a post on X.
“The appalling attack on Saudi Hospital in El Fasher, Sudan, led to 19 injuries and 70 deaths among patients and companions,” Tedros wrote. “At the time of the attack, the hospital was packed with patients seeking care.”
The attack on the maternal hospital, which local officials blamed on the rebel Rapid Support Forces, came as the group was experiencing apparent battlefield losses to the Sudanese military and allied forces, the Associated Press reported.
Meanwhile, the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the assault as a “violation of international and humanitarian laws”,
In a statement, the ministry called for the protection of healthcare and humanitarian workers and prevention of attacks on civilian targets.
The conflict between Sudan’s military leader and the Rapid Support Forces erupted on April 15, 2023, following months of tension over the country’s political future and a proposal to integrate the Rapid Support Forces into the national army.
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