By Ebi Kesiena
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has confirmed that more than 100 people including at least 63 children were killed following devastating attacks on a kindergarten and a nearby hospital in Sudan’s South Kordofan State.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, in a post on X on Monday, described the December 4 incident as “disturbing,” noting that the assault began with repeated strikes on a kindergarten. He said paramedics and first responders were also targeted as they attempted to evacuate injured children to a rural hospital close by.
Sudan’s foreign ministry blamed the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) for the attacks, alleging that drones were used to carry out the strikes. The WHO’s attack-tracking database reported that heavy weapons were deployed, leaving 114 people dead and 35 more injured.
A WHO spokesperson clarified that the casualty figures combine fatalities from the kindergarten, casualties recorded during the transfer of patients, and additional deaths following subsequent attacks on the adjacent health facility. Most of the children reportedly died in the initial strike, while parents and medical personnel were among those killed in later assaults.
Health facilities across Sudan have faced repeated attacks since the country’s civil war erupted two and a half years ago. Reuters also reported a massacre in the northern city of al-Fashir in October, underscoring the continued targeting of civilians and healthcare workers in conflict zones.
The RSF has not commented on the latest incident, though it has previously denied attacking civilians and insists that any violations by its fighters would be investigated.
Tedros confirmed that survivors have been transferred to another hospital, while urgent calls are being made for blood donations and critical medical supplies to treat the wounded.
