More than 40 people, including children and health care workers, were killed on Saturday in a deadly attack on Al Mujlad Hospital in West Kordofan, Sudan, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has confirmed.
The hospital, located near the frontline of fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), was hit over the weekend in one of the deadliest single assaults on medical infrastructure since the war began in April 2023.
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO, has condemned the violence today stating:
“Another appalling attack on health in Sudan, this one in the Al Mujlad Hospital in West Kordofan, causing over 40 civilian deaths, including of children and health workers, and dozens of injuries."
"We cannot say this louder: attacks on health must stop everywhere! #NotATarget" He added
Among the dead were six children and five medical personnel as stated on x by
WHO Sudan.
"WHO is appalled by the attack on Al Mujlad Hospital in West Kordofan, which led to dozens of injuries & >40 civilian deaths, incl. 6 children & 5 health workers, & extensive damage to the hospital."
WHO Sudan also emphasized that, "Attacks on healthcare must not be tolerated and must end immediately. "
It is also noted that a Sudanese human rights group, emergency lawyers, accused an army of carrying out the strike using a drone. In their initial statement released Sunday, the group reported a lower death toll of nine, but the number has since been revised upward.
The attack comes amid a broader pattern of systematic targeting of health infrastructure across Sudan.
According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), more than 80% of hospitals in conflict-affected states such as Khartoum, Darfur, and Kordofan are either out of service or operating at minimal capacity.
In many cases, health workers have fled due to insecurity, and the remaining facilities face severe shortages of medicines, fuel, and surgical supplies.
West Kordofan has become an increasingly contested area in recent months, with armed clashes intensifying along key supply routes and towns.
In February, a similar airstrike in Kadugli, South Kordofan, left many civilians dead. The United Nations has consistently warned that the targeting of hospitals, schools, and humanitarian workers constitutes a grave violation of international humanitarian law, potentially amounting to war crimes.
As the conflict between SAF and RSF continues with no sign of resolution, the humanitarian crisis in Sudan has reached unprecedented level s.n
Millions of people require urgent assistance, with many displaced from their homes. Humanitarian agencies continue to call for an immediate ceasefire, unrestricted access to aid, and the protection of all civilians, especially in and around healthcare facilities.