Attachments
Attacks on Health Care in Sudan
On 20 March, El-Daein Teaching Hospital in East Darfur - the main health facility in the area - was hit by a suspected SAF drone strike, killing 64 people, including two female nurses and a male doctor and 13 children, and injuring 89 people including eight health workers. The hospital’s emergency, maternity and paediatric departments were severely damaged, rendering the facility non-functional, leaving thousands of people without access to health care. This latest attack in the Darfur region, where the RSF dominates, has been denied by the SAF, which mostly controls Sudan’s east, centre and north; some reports suggest the drone strike may have targeted a nearby police station. Medical personnel and facilities are protected under international law and deliberately targeting them could constitute a war crime.
Prior to this latest attack, Insecurity Insight recorded six attacks on health care in East Darfur between February 2024 and May 2025, all in El Daein city, with the pattern shifting over time, from early SAF airstrikes damaging health facilities to later incidents involving Darfur militia looting a health centre and RSF forces arresting a nurse amid forced recruitment.
This latest incident underscores how armed drones have become an escalating threat in conflict settings. Adapting to this risk means rethinking security measures for health facilities and aid workers. Insecurity Insight’s practical guide brings together current best practice and is available in Burmese, English, French and Spanish. Individual resources:
- Outside When a Drone is Spotted: Arabic; Burmese; English; French; Spanish
- Inside a Building During a Drone Attack: Arabic; Burmese; English; French; Spanish
- Responding to Drone Attacks on Aid Work : Burmese; English; French; Spanish
- Traveling in High-Risk Areas: Burmese; English; French; Spanish
Adapted for the protection of health services based on case studies on Myanmar in English and Burmese.
Insecurity Insight identified 721 incidents of violence against or obstruction of access to health care in Sudan since fighting started between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in April 2023 and 02 March 2025. At least 184 health workers were killed and 112 arrested, while health facilities, including maternity and children's hospitals, as well as dialysis centres were reportedly damaged on 190 occasions. Pharmacies were looted and the delivery of life-saving medicines was repeatedly obstructed from reaching people in need. Over two-thirds of these 723 incidents were attributed to the RSF.
View the incidents on our interactive map. Download the data. Updated every Monday and includes information on weapons use, perpetrators and effects. For events descriptions and data enquiries, please get in touch. Numbers may change if or when further information is made available. See here for methodology.