More Than 100 Killed In Sudan Hospital Attack – WHO Chief

The head of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has condemned a drone strike on a kindergarten and hospital in Sudan that left 114 people dead, calling the attack “senseless.”

The strike took place on Thursday in the town of Kalogi in South Kordofan. UN figures show that 63 children were among those killed.

The Rapid Support Forces (RSF), one of the two rival forces in Sudan’s civil war, has been accused of carrying out the attack by the army and a medical network.

In a separate statement, the RSF claimed to have taken control of Heglig, Sudan’s largest oil field.

Sudan has been engulfed in conflict since April 2023, when a power struggle between the RSF and the army erupted into war. The Kordofan region — which includes North, South, and West Kordofan — lies between Khartoum and Darfur and has become a major battleground as the army attempts to advance toward Darfur, currently held by the RSF. Nearly eight million people live across the three states.

Initial reports from local authorities indicated at least 50 deaths in Kalogi, including 33 children. Updated figures from the WHO’s monitoring system later confirmed 114 fatalities and 35 injured.

A local official in Kalogi said drones struck the kindergarten first, then hit the hospital, and attacked again as residents attempted to rescue children trapped in the rubble.

The RSF has not publicly commented on the incident. The group has previously denied targeting civilians, despite facing accusations of large-scale attacks in other areas of the country.

Tedros said survivors from the strike were transferred to a hospital in South Kordofan for urgent treatment, and that emergency calls for blood donations and medical supplies have been issued.

“Paramedics and responders came under fire while trying to move the injured from the kindergarten to the hospital,” he said.

He added that the WHO “condemns these senseless attacks on civilians and health facilities,” and again called for an end to the violence and greater access to humanitarian assistance.

While avoiding assigning blame for the attack, Tedros renewed his call for a ceasefire, saying: “Sudanese people have suffered far too much.”

The RSF described the capture of Heglig — near Sudan’s southern border — as a major development. Military personnel reportedly pulled back from the site to prevent damage to the oil facilities. Staff working at the field have also left the area.

Heglig contains the main processing infrastructure for South Sudanese oil exports, which represent a key source of revenue and are crucial for both countries’ access to foreign currency.