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WHO condemns attack on Sudanese kindergarten and hospital
The head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has labeled a drone strike on a kindergarten and hospital in Sudan as "senseless," reporting that 114 people were killed, including 63 children.
Attack details and casualties
The assault occurred on Thursday in Kalogi, a town in the South Kordofan region, which is currently held by the Sudanese army. According to the WHO's Attacks on Health Care monitoring system, 114 people died, and 35 were injured.
Local official Essam al-Din al-Sayed, head of the Kalogi administrative unit, told AFP that drones struck a kindergarten first, followed by a hospital, and then targeted rescuers attempting to save the children.
Accusations and denials
The Rapid Support Forces (RSF), one of the warring factions in Sudan's civil conflict, was accused by both the army and the Sudan Doctors' Network of carrying out the attack. The RSF has not yet commented on the allegations but has previously denied harming civilians.
In October, Tedros accused the RSF of killing hundreds of civilians at a hospital in the Darfur city of el-Fasher.
Humanitarian response
Survivors of the Kalogi attack were transported to Abu Jebaiha Hospital in South Kordofan for treatment. Tedros reported that paramedics and responders came under fire while attempting to evacuate the injured.
The WHO has issued urgent appeals for blood donations and medical supplies, condemning the attacks on civilians and health facilities. Tedros called for an immediate end to the violence and improved access to humanitarian aid.
"Sudanese have suffered far too much. Ceasefire now!"
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, via X
RSF claims control of key oil field
In a separate development, the RSF announced it had seized Sudan's largest oil field, Heglig, near the southern border. An army source told Reuters that government troops withdrew to protect the facilities from damage.
A source at the oil field confirmed that both the army and oil workers had retreated into South Sudan, which gained independence from Sudan in 2011.
Heglig hosts the primary processing facility for South Sudanese oil, a critical revenue source for both Sudan and South Sudan.
Wider conflict context
Sudan has been embroiled in war since April 2023, following a power struggle between the RSF and the army, former allies turned rivals. The Kordofan region, home to nearly eight million people, has become a major battleground as the army advances toward Darfur, which is under RSF control.
Initial reports from Kalogi suggested at least 50 fatalities, including 33 children, but the WHO later confirmed a higher death toll.
