Drone strike targets a hospital in Sudan, killing 7 people

A drone strike hit an army hospital in Sudan’s southern city of Dilling, leaving 7 civilians dead and 12 injured.

According to The New Arab via AFP on December 14, the attack severely disrupted healthcare services in the area, as the hospital had been a key medical facility for civilians as well as military personnel.

Many of the casualties were patients and accompanying relatives, according to a medic who spoke on condition of anonymity. The medic said the army hospital serves civilians from the city and surrounding areas, as well as military personnel.

Drone strikes have become increasingly frequent in parts of Sudan affected by fighting involving the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), contributing to the displacement of millions of civilians.

On December 13, a drone attack targeted a UN facility that killed 6 peacekeepers and injured 6 others.

Attacks on civilian infrastructure, including health facilities, have further strained Sudan’s already fragile healthcare system, increasing demand for medical supplies amid widespread shortages. The ongoing conflict has also deepened food insecurity across the country.

Kadugli and Dilling are among several areas facing famine-like conditions. The United Nations has said Kadugli has experienced such conditions since September, but limited access and insufficient data have so far prevented an official famine declaration.

Drone attacks are not the only atrocities that have been occurring in Sudan; the UN has also warned the region that it is in danger of what has been happening in North Darfur, the state capital of El-Fasher, which has been facing mass killings, abductions, and sexual violence.

Doctors Without Borders revealed on September 25 that they had given medical care to over 600 victims who had been through sexual violence in Sudan’s North Darfur.

Most of the sexual violence was allegedly carried out by the RSF, and just in August alone, 112 victims were treated, with 85% of them coming from either el-Fasher or the ZamZam displacement camp.

With the RSF taking control over most parts of Darfur’s major cities, it has created a divide, and Sudan is essentially split into two. The army holds central, eastern, and northern regions, while the RSF and allied forces control much of western Sudan and parts of the south.

The conflict has left around 12 million civilians displaced, pushing the country into one of the world’s worst humanitarian emergencies, according to reports.