WHO chief says at least 64 killed in Sudan hospital strike
The Al-Daein Teaching Hospital, in Rapid Support Forces-controlled East Darfur, was struck Friday evening. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus verified the death toll Sunday, saying 13 children, two nurses, a doctor and multiple patients were among the dead.
Eighty-nine people, including eight Health staff, were also injured in the blast that damaged the facility's pediatric, maternity and emergency departments, he said.
The hospital is no longer functional, he said, and WHO is expanding support at other health facilities, strengthening primary care services and deploying trauma care supplies and essential medicines.
Related
"Enough blood has been spilled," he said in a statement. "Enough suffering has been inflicted."
The Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary RSF have been locked in a brutal civil war since a power struggle between them over control of the country's transition and planned integration of the RSF into the regular army turned violent in April 2023.
The death toll is not known, but is believed to be in the tens of thousands, though possibly much higher. According to United Nations statistics, the war has displaced more than 11.6 million people, 4.4 million of whom have sought refuge in neighboring countries.
Both sides have been accused of committing war crimes, while the RSF has also been accused of crimes against humanity. The United States has also declared that the RSF and aligned militias have been committing genocide in Darfur.
The RSF on Saturday blamed the SAF for the strike on the hospital.
"This attack constitutes a full-fledged war crime and represents a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law," an RSF spokesman said in a statement.
An SAF spokesman on Sunday said it received accusations with "astonishment." The attack bears the hallmarks of the RSF, the spokesman said.
"The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) affirms that it is a regular force committed to international law and norms. This pattern of behavior, however, is characteristic of the Rapid Support Militia, which has repeatedly carried out such attacks," the spokesman said in a statement.
The RSF has been accused of attacking several medical facilities during the war, most recently on March 2, when 12 people were injured in a strike on the British Hospital in El Obeid.
"Attacking service and healthcare facilities is a consistent approach and a daily practice carried out by this terrorist militia, which has committed massacres in El Fasher, as well as crimes against humanity, war crimes and ethnic cleansing."
Both the SAF and the RSF called on the international community to hold the other responsible.
According to Ghebreyesus, 2,036 people have been killed in 213 attacks on Sudanese healthcare facilities amid the war. More than 720 people were also injured in the attacks, he said.
"In an instant, a place of healing was turned into a scene of devastation," Hanan Balkhy, regional director of WHO's office for the Eastern Mediterranean, said in response to the Friday strike.
"And for families in the surrounding area, one of the few places to seek care is now gone."
Burkina Faso: Muslims murder at least 12 people in jihad raid on village, loot and burn shops
“Make ready for them all that you can of force and of warhorses, so that by them you may strike terror in the enemy of Allah and your enemy…” (Qur’an 8:60)
Suspected jihadists attack village in Burkina Faso, killing at least 12
Africa News, March 17, 2026 (thanks to The Religion of Peace):
Suspected jihadists have attacked a village in Burkina Faso, killing at least 12 civilians, including nine members of a volunteer force supporting the army, according to local and security sources on Tuesday.
The West African country, led by a military junta since a 2022 coup, has faced more than a decade of deadly violence carried out by jihadist groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group.
A series of attacks targeting the army and civilian volunteer fighters (VDP) took place over the weekend in several parts of the country, a security source said.
In one of the incidents, armed fighters stormed the village of Dourtenga in the country’s central-eastern region on Sunday, killing nine members of the volunteer force, including their leader, a local official told AFP. Three other civilians were also killed, including a woman.
“They caused significant damage in the village, looting several shops and setting others on fire,” a resident said, adding that the attack and subsequent gunfire lasted for more than an hour.
“Calm has returned, but since yesterday (Monday), many people have been fleeing the village for fear of another attack,” the resident added.
The Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM), an Al-Qaeda-linked organisation, claimed responsibility last month for several attacks against the army and volunteer forces. According to conflict monitor ACLED, more than 130 people were killed within about 10 days….
No comments:
Post a Comment