A child in a refugee camp in Tawil, Darfur. UN Secretary-General condemns deadly strikes on kindergarten and hospital in Sudan Peace and Security
Senior UN officials have condemned the killing of dozens of children in drone strikes in Sudan’s South Kordofan state, as well as attacks on rescuers trying to help the wounded.
In a statement issued by the spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres said he was shocked to learn that on December 4, several drone strikes hit a kindergarten and a hospital in the town of Kalogi where victims were being treated. The head of the UN World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, in turn, said that the rural hospital was attacked at least three times, resulting in deaths 114 people, including 63 children.
Call for blood donors
Survivors of the drone attack are in urgent need of blood transfusions and other medical care, the WHO chief said in a statement posted online by X. “It is alarming that paramedics and rescue workers were attacked while trying to transport the wounded from a kindergarten to a hospital,” he added. On the same day, a humanitarian convoy was attacked in North Kordofan state. The vehicles were transporting vital supplies to North Darfur. A UN World Food Program truck driver was seriously wounded by gunfire. “The Secretary-General condemns the attack on humanitarian workers at a time of greatest need,” the statement said.
A disaster for millions
Humanitarian groups warn that the situation across Sudan remains catastrophic for millions of people caught in the middle of fierce fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Action Force. Humanitarian conditions are becoming increasingly dire as vital supplies of water, food and other basic necessities dwindle. Famine has already been recorded in the capital of Southern Kordofan, Kadugli. “The horrific human rights violations and abuses documented in El Fasher in recent months, as well as reports of serious violations of international humanitarian law, must not be repeated in the Kordofan region,” the UN Secretary-General’s Spokesperson stressed. Amid reports of continued foreign interference in the conflict in Sudan, the Secretary-General called on all states with influence on warring parties to use their leverage to achieve an immediate cessation of fighting and stop the flow of weapons. “The Secretary-General reiterates his call on the parties to agree to an immediate ceasefire and resume negotiations to achieve a lasting truce and a comprehensive, inclusive political process,” the statement said. “The United Nations is ready to support real steps to end the fighting in Sudan and forge a path to lasting peace.”
Call by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said he fears a “new wave of atrocities” in Sudan. Since the end of October, he noted, hundreds of civilians have been killed and tens of thousands have fled airstrikes, shelling and extrajudicial killings amid massive population displacement – more than 45,000 people have fled violence-plagued areas. “Safe passage for those fleeing the horrors of hunger, death and destruction is vital,” the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Rights said Calling for “urgent diplomatic action,” World Food Program Deputy Executive Director Karl Skau stressed the need for greater attention to preventing further atrocities and helping to end famine. More than 30 million people are currently in need of humanitarian support in Sudan. Since fighting broke out between rival militias in April 2023, more than nine million Sudanese have been forced to flee their homes.