Medical aid workers report that Sudan’s paramilitary militia carried out a fatal drone bombardment Thursday that claimed the lives of at least 10 individuals at a medical facility in the nation’s south-central region.
The international aid organization Doctors Without Borders (MSF) reported that Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces conducted dual drone assaults on Al-Jabalain Hospital located in White Nile province, with missiles striking both a surgical suite and the facility’s maternity section.
Thursday’s bombardment represents the most recent escalation in mounting aerial warfare between Sudan’s military and the RSF, resulting in 10 fatalities that included seven healthcare workers, while wounding a minimum of 19 individuals. MSF confirmed that injured victims were transported for treatment to a medical center in Kosti, located approximately 50 miles away.
These assaults continue a devastating pattern of healthcare system targeting throughout Sudan’s brutal civil war that erupted in April 2023 between government forces and the RSF. The World Health Organization documented in March that healthcare facilities have endured more than 200 attacks since fighting commenced. Just last month, a hospital bombing in Sudan’s western Darfur area resulted in 70 deaths, including no fewer than 13 children.
United Nations data indicates the conflict spanning nearly three years has resulted in over 40,000 deaths, though humanitarian organizations believe actual casualty figures may be significantly higher.
“The attack is even more appalling as it occurred during a children’s immunization campaign,” MSF stated regarding the al-Jabalain hospital bombing.
Emergency Lawyers, a domestic advocacy organization, announced Thursday that the attacks also struck a medical supply warehouse in Rabak, which serves as White Nile province’s capital.
The Emergency Lawyers described the “recurring pattern” of aerial bombardments by both warring factions since March across South Kordofan, Blue Nile, East, Central and South Darfur provinces has forced additional population displacement.
Friday brought condemnation from Khalid Aleisir, Sudan’s minister of culture, information, antiquities and tourism, who denounced the attack and demanded the RSF be classified as a terrorist organization with its members facing prosecution.
“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,” Aleisir posted on social media platform X.
The Sudan Doctors Network, a domestic organization tracking war-related violence, characterized the attack as a “deliberate assault on health facilities and unarmed civilians” that further damages the nation’s already crumbling healthcare infrastructure.
“MSF is outraged by these repeated attacks on health care, which have escalated dangerously in recent weeks,” stated Esperanza Santos, MSF’s emergency response coordinator for Sudan. “Health facilities, medical staff, and patients must always be protected. We call on RSF and SAF to immediately stop this spiral of violence against medical facilities.”
According to analysts and humanitarian personnel, increasing drone bombardments throughout Sudan’s Kordofan region have inflicted mounting civilian casualties while disrupting relief efforts.
