Dozens of people were killed and injured in a drone strike on a public hospital in the city of Al-Majlad, in the western state of Kordofan, western Sudan. The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and local bodies blamed the Sudanese Army (SAF) for the attack.
“The shelling on Saturday afternoon killed 34 civilians, including medical personnel, and wounded dozens more,” the RSF said in a statement on Sunday.
Also, Al-Majlad Emergency Room, a local group in the West Kordofan State, posted a statement on its Facebook page, blaming the army for the attack.
Until Sunday evening, the Sudanese army had not responded to the accusations. Its official spokesman, Nabil Abdullah, has not answered calls for comment.
According to local sources, the attack on the hospital came shortly after the RSF had transferred to the facility dozens of its members injured in the fierce clashes that broke out last week with the SAF in Babanusa.
On Saturday, the Sudanese army had said in a statement that its forces in the 22nd Infantry Division operating in Babanusa, repelled a major RSF attack on the city.
On Sunday, the Emergency Lawyers, a rights group that monitors abuses in the Sudanese war, confirmed the deaths and injuries in the raid on Al-Majlad’s hospital.
“The hospital is one of the state's primary health facilities. It houses a dialysis unit that provides regular services to patients,” the group said, adding that the attack constitutes a “serious violation.”
The lawyers added, “We categorically reject any explanations that could be offered to justify this attack. We hold the parties behind the shelling fully responsible for the human and material losses.”
Meanwhile, local sources said that the majority of residents in Al-Majlad and the nearby towns and villages, mainly rely on this hospital to receive treatment and healthcare.
Earlier, SAF media sources said on social media that the military had carried out an airstrike on the city of Al-Majdal, without specifying the targeted area.
Despite international calls to protect hospitals during armed conflict, medical facilities have been repeatedly attacked, with both sides of conflict blaming each other for the incidents.
Last May, the SAF blamed the RSF for the attack on a hospital in Obeid, the capital of northern Kordofan, where six people were killed and 12 others injured.
