A devastating attack on Al-Mujlad Hospital in West Kordofan, Sudan, has resulted in the deaths of over 40 people, including children and healthcare workers, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Labeling it “another appalling attack,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus condemned the strike on X (formerly Twitter), emphasizing, “Attacks on health must stop everywhere!”
The assault took place on Saturday in Muglad town, near active conflict zones where Sudan’s rival military factions—the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF)—have been locked in a deadly power struggle since April 2023.
The RSF has blamed the Sudanese military for the hospital bombing, a claim supported by the Sudan Doctors Network and Emergency Lawyers, two prominent civil society groups monitoring violations in the ongoing conflict. The military has yet to respond to the accusations.
According to the WHO’s Sudan office, among the 40 confirmed casualties were six children and five healthcare professionals. Several others sustained injuries in the attack. Al-Mujlad Hospital was the only operational healthcare facility in the region and included a dialysis unit, serving civilians rather than combatants.
Emergency Lawyers allege that the SAF targeted the hospital to eliminate RSF members supposedly taking refuge inside. This claim remains unverified, as the RSF has not responded, and the SAF has made no official comment.
Since the conflict erupted last year, Sudan has plunged into what the United Nations now calls the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. Mass killings, displacement of millions, and repeated attacks on medical facilities have become alarmingly frequent.
UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell, speaking from neighboring Chad on Monday, warned of a worsening crisis for Sudanese children. She highlighted the dire conditions facing refugees—many of whom are children lacking food, education, and healthcare.
Russell also reported disturbing incidents of sexual violence against minors, including babies as young as one year old. Some victims, deeply traumatized, have even attempted suicide.
Despite the growing emergency, humanitarian appeals for aid to Sudan remain significantly underfunded.
