WHO Chief condemns attacks on Sudan’s health facilities

Africa, Health, International

INTERNATIONAL, April 4, 2026 (NPA) — The Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has urged warring parties in Sudan to immediately halt attacks on healthcare facilities, warning that the escalating violence is costing lives and crippling vital services.

In a statement issued today, Ghebreyesus drew attention to a series of recent assaults on hospitals, health workers, and patients. He described the situation as a “new spate of tragic attacks on health across Sudan,” noting that incidents have included killings, assaults, looting, and damage from air strikes.

He referenced the April 2 drone strike on Al-Jabalain Teaching Hospital in White Nile State, which killed 10 healthcare workers and injured 22 others. A day earlier, another strike on the central medical warehouse in Rabak injured three people, including a pharmacist, and left unexploded ordnance inside the facility.

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On the same day, the Family Hospital in Al-Daein, East Darfur, was looted, with patients and staff assaulted and expelled. The hospital is located just blocks from Al-Daein Teaching Hospital, which was recently destroyed in a strike that killed at least 70 people, including patients and health workers.

Similar violence was reported on March 25 in Al-Kurmuk, Blue Nile State, where a hospital was looted, equipment destroyed, and staff and patients forced out. One health worker was critically injured.

“The continued attacks on health care facilities, health workers and patients who depend on them are unacceptable. This worrying pattern reveals a level of disregard for human life that no responsible actor can tolerate,” Ghebreyesus warned.

The WHO chief stressed that protecting healthcare is a fundamental obligation under international humanitarian law and called for accountability for those responsible.