Echoing those concerns, the head of the United Nations World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said that Kalogi Rural Hospital was attacked at least three times, killing 114 people, including 63 children..
call to blood bank
Survivors of those attacks have been taken to Abu Jebaiha hospital in South Kordofan for treatment “and urgent appeals are being made for blood donations and other medical support,” Tedros said in a statement published on X.
“Disturbingly, paramedics and first responders were attacked as they attempted to transfer the injured from kindergarten to hospital.” Tedros added.
On the same day as those attacks, an aid convoy was also attacked in North Kordofan state. It was transporting vital supplies to North Darfur when it was attacked, seriously injuring the driver of a United Nations World Food Program (WFP) truck.
“The Secretary-General deplores this new attack on humanitarian operations at a time of extreme need.” the statement continued.
Large scale suffering
Aid agencies warn that the situation across Sudan remains catastrophic for millions of people caught in intense fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
In particular, in the central Kordofan region, dire conditions are worsening further as vital supplies run out, while famine conditions have been confirmed in the South Kordofan state capital, Kadugli.
“As fighting intensifies, the horrific human rights violations and abuses reported 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.” insisted the spokesman for the UN chief.
And amid reports of continued foreign involvement in the Sudan conflict, “the Secretary-General calls on all States with influence over the parties to take immediate action and use their influence to force an immediate cessation of fighting and stop the arms flows” that are fueling it, his spokesperson’s statement added.
“The Secretary-General renews his call to the parties to agree to an immediate cessation of hostilities and resume talks to achieve a lasting ceasefire and a comprehensive, inclusive, Sudanese-owned political process. The United Nations stands ready to support genuine measures to end the fighting in Sudan and chart a path towards lasting peace.”
The plea of the UN human rights chief
The development comes after UN human rights chief Volker Türk said he feared “another wave of atrocities” in Sudan.
Since late October, hundreds of civilians have been killed and tens of thousands more have fled airstrikes, shelling and summary executions, he said, amid massive civilian displacement involving more than 45,000 people fleeing violence and seeking safety in or near the Kordofan region.
“Safe passage for those fleeing the horror of famine, death and destruction is essential and a human rights imperative,” the High Commissioner’s office said.
Calling for “urgent diplomatic action”, WFP Deputy Executive Director Carl Skau insisted that greater attention was needed to prevent further atrocities and help reverse the famine.
More than 30 million people in Sudan now need humanitarian assistance and more than nine million have been displaced within the country since fighting broke out in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary RSF.