The medical charity Doctors Without Borders, known by its French initials MSF, has denounced a drone attack on a hospital in the south-central part of war-torn Sudan that killed 10 people. The attack on Thursday involved two strikes on Al Jabalain Hospital in White Nile State, hitting an operating theatre and a maternity ward, MSF said in a statement on Friday, adding the assault was “reportedly” carried out by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Esperanza Santos, MSF head of emergencies for Sudan, stated: “This unacceptable assault resulted in at least 10 fatalities, including seven medical staff, some of whom had previously worked with MSF. The attack is even more appalling as it occurred during a children’s immunisation campaign. Our thoughts go to the families of the deceased, including our former colleagues.”
The strikes are the latest in a series of attacks on the healthcare system in Sudan amid the ongoing war between the army and the RSF that broke out in April 2023. In a separate attack on Thursday, a medical supply depot was hit in Rabak, the capital city of the White Nile province.
Emergency Lawyers, a local rights group, said the “recurring pattern” of drone attacks by the warring parties since March in the provinces of South Kordofan, Blue Nile, East, Central and South Darfur has displaced more people. The World Health Organization said in March that more than 200 attacks have targeted healthcare facilities since the war began.
On Friday, Khalid Aleisir, the minister of culture, information, antiquities and tourism, condemned the attack and called for designating the RSF a terrorist organisation and prosecuting its members. He posted on X: “We also hold regional backers directly responsible for perpetuating this violent campaign through military and logistical support, including advanced weaponry and unmanned aerial systems, which have escalated violence and targeted civilians.”
Sudan Doctors Network, a local group that monitors war violence, called the attack a “deliberate assault on health facilities and unarmed civilians” that further worsens an already deteriorating health sector in the country.
Source: www.aljazeera.com