WHO warns of rising attacks on Sudan hospitals

Cairo: Hospitals and other healthcare facilities in war torn Sudan are facing increased attacks, a World Health Organization (WHO) official said on We...

Cairo: Hospitals and other healthcare facilities in war-torn Sudan are facing increased attacks, a World Health Organization (WHO) official said on Wednesday as fighting between the army and paramilitaries rages on.

Since the start of the war in April 2023, the WHO has recorded 82 attacks on healthcare facilities, "including 17 in the last six weeks alone", said Hanan Balkhy, the WHO's Eastern Mediterranean regional director.

Meanwhile, the country is suffering from the "spread of diseases such as cholera, malaria and meningitis," she warned during a video conference.

The conflict between the regular army under Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, led by his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, has left tens of thousands dead and displaced more than ten million people, according to the United Nations.

With the war showing no signs of abating, the delivery of humanitarian aid faces "administrative, security and logistical obstacles," said Shible Sahbani, the WHO's representative in Sudan.