UN condemns attack on Saudi hospital in Sudan
70+ killed in attack on only functioning hospital in besieged El Fasher
An aerial attack on the Saudi Maternity Hospital in El Fasher, Darfur, which killed upwards of 70 patients and their relatives on Friday, has provoked widespread international outrage. The United Nations Secretary General, the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and many other foreign ministries—including those of Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Jordan, Turkey, Somalia, Jordan and Pakistan—condemned the attack.
Saudi Arabia called for “self-restraint, avoiding targeting civilians, and implementing what was signed in the Jeddah Declaration (Commitment to Protecting Civilians in Sudan) on May 11, 2023, expressing its sincere condolences and sympathy to the families of the deceased, and its wishes for a speedy recovery for the injured.”
Similarly, Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, issued a statement condemning the attack and calling for an immediate ceasefire:
“This appalling attack, which affected the only functioning hospital in Darfur’s largest city, comes after more than 21 months of war have left much of Sudan’s healthcare system in tatters. The Secretary-General reiterates that, under international humanitarian law, the wounded and sick, as well as medical personnel and medical facilities, must be respected and protected at all times.”
The statements did not identify the perpetrator of the attack, and the warring parties blamed each other. State-run media affiliated with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) claimed that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) carried out the attack using a Chinese-made Long Wing 2 drone, while the RSF blamed the SAF Air Force or artillery.
Both sides previously have carried out aerial and artillery attacks in El Fasher. The Saudi Maternity Hospital is located in a part of the city controlled by the SAF, making it more likely that the RSF carried out the attack, unless SAF mistakenly bombed it or misfired at it.
Humanitarian agencies in Sudan, which usually don’t engage in much public advocacy, joined the chorus of condemnation. The INGO Forum, which coordinates on behalf of 70 foreign aid organization in Sudan, wrote in a statement,
“The targeted destruction of critical civilian infrastructure, including the deadly attack on the Saudi Hospital in Al Fasher and recent drone strikes on power stations in White Nile, Gedaref, River Nile, and Northern State, are a blatant violation of international humanitarian law (IHL) and the principles of distinction and proportionality.
“In Darfur, the appalling attack on Al Fasher’s only functional hospital killed at least 70, at the time when the city is seeing escalating violence. In the East, the shutdown of essential services has cruel and life-threatening consequences, cutting off electricity and water for millions of civilians.
“This comes as Sudan grapples with a surge in cholera cases, skyrocketing food prices, and an economy where families and businesses simply cannot afford fuel to mitigate the power outages.
“In Khartoum, hospitals and healthcare facilities—already battered by conflict—are on the brink of collapse as power outages disrupt life-saving medical services. In the East, cities hosting millions of internally displaced persons are pushed to breaking point as the strain on already fragile water and electricity systems becomes unbearable.
“Weaponizing basic services to paralyse civilian life is a deeply disturbing and unacceptable tactic of war. It must end now.The INGO Forum calls on the involved party to the conflict to immediately cease attacks on civilian infrastructure. We urge international actors to exert their influence to stop these violations and ensure those responsible are held to account.
The International Committee of the Red Cross issued a similar statement expressing alarm at “a disturbing pattern of attacks on critical civilian infrastructure so essential for people's survival.”
The attack on the Saudi Hospital happened the night after a multi-prong RSF attack on El Fasher, after the expiry of a 48-hour ultimatum to forces inside El Fasher to surrender or leave the city. The Army and allied Joint Force claimed to have repulsed the attack, but videos by RSF combatants showed they overran at least some SAF positions, including the Shala Prison on the southwestern side of the airport runway.
“How many lives need to be lost for this senseless violence to stop? There must be accountability for the ongoing violations.”
The RSF are alleged to have used drones and other weapons supplied by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to support their offensive in El Fasher. UAE officials gave assurances to the Biden Administration that they would stop supplying the RSF, but they reneged on this commitment, two lawmakers wrote in a statement this week, citing a confidential briefing by U.S. national security officials.
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (a Democrat from Maryland) and Representative Sara Jacobs (a Democrat from California) said that they had been briefed by the Biden Administration during its final days in office, disclosing, “they have confirmed that the United Arab Emirates is [still] providing weapons to the Rapid Support Forces in Sudan, in direct contradiction to the assurances it has made to the United States.”
The announcement by the two lawmakers followed their push for the Biden Administration to secure assurances that the UAE would not supply weapons to the RSF, and that the White House would monitor compliance those assurances. Jacobs and Van Hollen are seeking to block a proposed $1.2 billion U.S. arms sale to the UAE due to the Gulf nation’s role in the Sudanese civil war. “It is imperative that the United States not provide weapons to countries that are in turn providing military support to the RSF and complicit in its genocidal actions,” Van Hollen said.
For its part, the Emirates has denied supplying weapons and its foreign ministry issued a statement condemning the attack on the Saudi Maternity Hospital in El Fasher, without identifying the perpetrator.
Additional casualties were reported from the Abu Shouk displacement camp, due to RSF shelling. The RSF siege on El Fasher, marked by periodic attacks and persistent shelling, has continued since May 2023, despite UN Security Council Resolution 2736, which in June 2023 demanded that the RSF halt the siege and urged de-escalation.
As fighting resumed today, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, Clementine Nkweta-Salami, wrote on the platform X, “Our worst fears are being confirmed as heavy fighting continues in Al Fasher. More worrying are reports of civilians trapped and blocked from fleeing. How many lives need to be lost for this senseless violence to stop? There must be accountability for the ongoing violations.”
Meanwhile, the Sudanese Air Force carried out airstrikes that hit Jebel Aulia and its surroundings in White Nile State on January 25 and 26, killing and wounded dozens of people. These attacks, however, attracted no international attention or condemnation. A mass grave from the area is seen in this video:
The cameraman in this video says warplanes hit the “Triangle area of Jebel Aulia, west of the triangle.” He claimed 150 deaths. His language, however, suggests that he is an RSF sympathizer, and we could not independently verify this reported death toll. Sentinel-2 satellite images showed terrain scorched by airstrikes at this market, which is located immediately west of the Jebel Aulia Dam (imagery analysis courtesy of Tom Bike).
Separately, pro-army media claimed responsibility for aerial attacks in the Jebel Aulia area, saying that both RSF combatants and civilians were killed. Among the places targeted was Al-Hudud Health Center, which pro-army influencers said they targeted because it treated RSF combatants.
News in Brief
SAF have rapidly gained more ground in Khartoum Bahri, especially in the Shambat District, over the past two days, following a breakthrough that lifted a long siege of the Kober area in the southernmost part of the city. RSF control in Shambat appears to be quickly collapsing.
Teachers in Kassala State are on strike asking for payment of their salaries.
Meetings of non-alligned Sudanese political forces ended in Nairobi without agreement on a unified national front.
The Central Bank of Sudan issued a circular with new regulations for foreign exchange, amid continuing depreciation against the Sudanese pound. The bank also issued a circular seeking to stimulate real estate financing and the purchase of wheeled vehicles.
Sudan’s army chief, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, visited the SAF headquarters in downtown Khartoum on Sunday, accompanied by other senior leaders. It was his first visit to the headquarters, following lifting of the siege, since he escaped from it in an underwater operation in August 2023.
South Sudan has lifted a suspension of Facebook and TikTok, which it imposed a week earlier following an outburst of hate speech and revenge attacks against Sudanese residents, in response to killings of South Sudan in Wad Madani, Sudan. The South Sudanese police chief also lifted a dusk-to-dawn curfew.
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