The World Health Organization has issued a stark warning to the international community, urging immediate attention to Sudan as the country faces one of the world’s most severe humanitarian and public health emergencies.
According to the WHO, more than 33.7 million people—over half of Sudan’s population—are now in urgent need of life-saving assistance. The ongoing conflict has pushed the nation’s fragile healthcare system to the brink of collapse, with repeated attacks on medical facilities compounding the crisis.
WHO’s Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that recent incidents highlight the worsening situation on the ground. On March 20, a drone strike hit Al-Daein Teaching Hospital in East Darfur, killing at least 64 people, including patients and healthcare workers, and injuring 89 others. Days later, on April 2, another drone attack targeted Al-Jabalain Hospital in White Nile State, leaving 10 medical and administrative staff dead, including the hospital’s director who was reportedly performing surgery at the time, and injuring 22 more.
Violence against healthcare infrastructure has extended beyond airstrikes. On the same day as the White Nile attack, the Family Hospital in Al-Daein was looted, with patients and staff assaulted and forced to flee, leading to a complete shutdown of services. Similarly, on March 25, a hospital in Al-Kurmuk, Blue Nile State, was ransacked, its equipment destroyed, and staff and patients driven out. One healthcare worker was reported critically injured.
The WHO described these incidents as “stark reminders” of the urgent need for renewed international solidarity and decisive humanitarian and political intervention.
“Sudan cannot endure this crisis alone,” the agency emphasized, calling on global actors to act swiftly to prevent further deterioration of an already catastrophic situation.