Sudanese Medical Center And Kindergarten Annihilated In Ruthless Drone Strike; Astonishing Death Toll Surges Beyond 100 As WHO Denounces Outrage
The Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has denounced what he called a “pointless” and catastrophic assault on a medical centre and a children’s nursery in the Sudanese town of Kalogi—an episode that starkly underscores the escalating peril confronting civilians amid the country’s rapidly worsening civil conflict.
Data compiled through the WHO’s surveillance platform for assaults on healthcare indicates that no fewer than 114 people lost their lives, among them 63 children, while another 35 individuals sustained injuries. The strikes—believed to have been executed using drones—occurred on Thursday in Kalogi, a community in South Kordofan, one of several regions increasingly ensnared in the confrontation between Sudan’s military forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Both the Sudanese army and the Sudan Doctors’ Network blamed the RSF for orchestrating the attack. The paramilitary movement has yet to release a formal statement. Historically, the RSF has repudiated claims of intentionally targeting civilians, though it continues to face recurring accusations from international bodies and humanitarian organisations over widespread abuses committed throughout the war.
Officials within Kalogi delivered a deeply disturbing description of the sequence of attacks. Essam al-Din al-Sayed, who heads the town’s administrative unit, recounted that the community was struck repeatedly. He stated that the initial drone blast hit a kindergarten, the second targeted a nearby hospital, and a third strike occurred just as residents attempted to rescue the injured. These reports have intensified outrage among aid organisations, who assert that repeated blows to clearly civilian locations constitute a severe breach of international humanitarian law.
Dr. Tedros confirmed that survivors had been evacuated to Abu Jebaiha Hospital, also situated in South Kordofan, where healthcare teams are overwhelmed by the surge of wounded. He emphasised an immediate requirement for blood donations, essential medical supplies and additional reinforcements to sustain the ongoing emergency response. He further voiced alarm that even first responders and paramedics came under direct threat during rescue efforts.
“WHO condemns these atrocious assaults on civilians and medical facilities,” he declared, renewing demands for the protection of health workers and unfettered humanitarian access. In a separate social media statement, he appealed for an urgent cessation of hostilities, stressing that the people of Sudan have “endured far more than any population should.”
Sudan has remained engulfed in chaos since April 2023, when a fierce power struggle erupted between the national army—commanded by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan—and the Rapid Support Forces, led by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, widely known as Hemedti. What began as a political standoff quickly devolved into a nationwide conflict that has ravaged major cities, displaced millions and thrust the nation into a deepening humanitarian disaster.
The Kordofan belt—comprising North, South and West Kordofan—has become an increasingly pivotal theatre in the war. Positioned between the capital, Khartoum, and the Darfur region, which is largely under RSF dominance, Kordofan has witnessed fierce clashes as the army attempts to advance westward to reclaim lost territory. Nearly eight million inhabitants in the region now face grave danger as fighting escalates.
In a separate turn of events, the RSF announced it had seized control of Heglig, Sudan’s most significant oil field near the border with South Sudan. The group hailed the takeover as a “decisive” milestone in the conflict. However, a military source told journalists that government troops had withdrawn from the region not due to defeat, but to safeguard crucial oil installations from destruction.
Another individual familiar with operations in the oil zone reported that both military personnel and petroleum workers had crossed into South Sudan for protection. Heglig holds substantial strategic weight, housing the primary processing hubs for crude produced in South Sudan. That petroleum not only serves as a major revenue lifeline for the southern nation but also significantly supports Sudan’s foreign exchange reserves.
The RSF’s capture of the oil field heightens concerns about broader regional consequences. Any disruption to oil output or exports could deepen economic turmoil in both Sudan and South Sudan and potentially send shockwaves through energy markets in neighbouring states.
Despite persistent calls from international and regional bodies for an immediate truce, diplomatic efforts have yet to yield meaningful negotiations. In the meantime, civilians remain stranded in hostile conditions—grappling with severe shortages of food, medical care, clean water and basic safety.
Source: Araba Sey