Attack on a hospital in southwestern Sudan leaves at least 62 dead
Xinhua News Agency, Cairo, March 21 (Reporter Zhang Meng) Khartoum news: The Sudanese paramilitary organization Rapid Support Forces issued a statement on the 21st, saying that a hospital in East Darfur, in the southwest of the country, was attacked by a drone on the evening of the 20th, resulting in at least 62 deaths, including 12 children, and 113 others injured.
The statement claimed that the Sudanese Armed Forces carried out the drone attack, hitting the emergency building of the Daein Teaching Hospital. There are still people trapped in the rubble, and search and rescue operations are ongoing. The statement condemned this act as a blatant violation of international humanitarian law and called for an independent international investigation to hold the perpetrators accountable.
Mohammed Idris Hattir, the director of the Civil Affairs Bureau of East Darfur, also stated that the emergency building of the aforementioned hospital was hit, the structure was completely destroyed, and most of the victims were women and children, severely impacting the medical system in the state.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Sudan issued a statement on the same day, saying that after the attack, the East Darfur government and international humanitarian organizations quickly transferred patients from the hospital to other medical facilities, but there is a severe shortage of basic medical supplies, especially surgical items, in the area. The statement also said that such attacks are unacceptable, and civilians and medical facilities must be protected.
The Sudanese Armed Forces and the Sudanese government have not yet responded.
On April 15, 2023, armed conflict broke out between the Sudanese military and the Rapid Support Forces in the capital Khartoum, and the fighting subsequently spread to other regions. Since the outbreak of the conflict, East Darfur has been under the control of the Rapid Support Forces. Nearly three years of armed conflict have resulted in a large number of civilian deaths.
The Rapid Support Forces conducted a drone strike on a hospital in Daein, East Darfur on March 20, 2023, resulting in at least 62 deaths, including 12 children, and 113 injuries. The emergency building of the hospital was completely destroyed, and rescue operations are ongoing. This attack has been condemned for violating international humanitarian law, with calls for an independent investigation.
- A hospital in Daein, East Darfur was attacked by drones.
- At least 62 people, including 12 children, were killed in the attack.
- 113 individuals were reported injured.
- The hospital's emergency building was completely destroyed.
- The attack has been condemned as a violation of international humanitarian law.