Hospital attack in Sudan kills over 40, including children

World Health Organization head Tedros Ghebreyesus on Tuesday said that more than 40 civilians died in a weekend attack on the Al Mujlad Hospital in Sudan’s West Kordofan province. Among the dead were six children and five healthcare workers, according to the organization. Dozens of other people were injured. The attack also heavily damaged the hospital, according to the WHO.

Ghebreyesus did not blame either of the warring forces in Sudan for the attack. The Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group, which has been at war with previously government-affiliated troops since 2023, blamed its opponents for attacking the hospital. The troops had not responded to the allegation on Tuesday morning, according to the BBC.

How did the fighting in Sudan start? The Rapid Support Forces and the former government army began an internal war in April 2023. The forces previously worked together to orchestrate a 2021 coup but couldn’t agree on how to integrate and share power. The fighting has internally displaced nearly 10 million people and sent about 2 million fleeing to other countries for refuge, according to the World Health Organization. A UN fact-finding mission concluded both sides are guilty of war crimes against civilians, though they deny the allegations.

Dig deeper: Read Emma Freire and Onize Oduah’s report on the need for diplomatic intervention amid the crisis in Sudan.