Drone Attack on East Darfur Hospital Confirmed by WHO, Killing Dozens
The World Health Organization has confirmed a devastating drone strike on a healthcare facility in Sudan that resulted in at least 64 fatalities and 89 injuries. The attack targeted the emergency department of El-Daein teaching hospital in East Darfur on March 20, 2026, marking another grim chapter in Sudan's ongoing conflict.
Hospital Becomes Battlefield in Sudan's Brutal War
According to WHO surveillance systems, the incident has been officially marked as "confirmed" and involved "violence with heavy weapons" that affected medical personnel, patients, supplies, and storage facilities. The Sudanese rights group Emergency Lawyers, which documents atrocities in the war between Sudan's army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, reported the strike was carried out by army drones.
El-Daein, the RSF-controlled state capital of East Darfur, has faced regular attacks from the army as military forces attempt to push the paramilitary back toward its Darfur strongholds and away from Sudan's central corridor. This most recent hospital attack follows an earlier strike on the city's market earlier this month that set fire to oil barrels that burned for hours.
Children and Medical Personnel Among Victims
The United Nations humanitarian office in Sudan expressed being "appalled by the attack on a hospital in East Darfur yesterday, reportedly killing dozens, including children, and injuring more." While the WHO systematically counts and verifies attacks on healthcare facilities, the organization does not attribute blame as it functions as a monitoring rather than investigative agency.
Near-daily drone strikes have become a hallmark of Sudan's brutal conflict, with dozens killed at a time, particularly in the southern Kordofan region. UN human rights chief Volker Türk recently stated he was "appalled" after more than 200 civilians were reported killed by drone attacks within just an eight-day period.
Healthcare Facilities Under Systematic Attack
Hospitals have become regular targets throughout the Sudanese conflict despite repeated condemnation from international bodies. By December, more than 1,800 people had been killed in attacks on health facilities since the war's beginning, including 173 healthcare workers according to UN statistics.
This year alone, a total of 12 attacks on healthcare in Sudan have been recorded, causing 178 deaths and 237 injuries. The RSF currently dominates the vast western Darfur region, while the army maintains control over Sudan's east, center, and north.
Humanitarian Crisis Deepens Across Sudan
The broader conflict has killed tens of thousands and displaced more than 11 million people from their homes across Sudan. The war has fueled what the United Nations describes as the world's largest displacement and hunger crises, with more than 33 million people currently in need of humanitarian assistance.
Volker Türk emphasized the alarming trend: "Parties to the conflict in Sudan continue to use increasingly powerful drones to deploy explosive weapons with wide-area impacts in populated areas." This hospital attack represents the latest violation of international humanitarian law in a conflict that shows no signs of abating.
