KHARTOUM — On March 20, 2026, a drone attack struck Al-Daein Teaching Hospital in East Darfur, killing at least 64 people—including medical personnel—and injuring 89 others. The Sudanese rights group Emergency Lawyers reported that the Sudanese Armed Forces were responsible for the attack.
More than three years of civil war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have devastated Sudan’s healthcare system, shutting down hospitals, health centers, and pharmaceutical factories. The conflict has killed over 50,000 people and displaced 14 million—nearly a quarter of the country’s population.
According to a World Health Organization (WHO) news release dated April 14, 2026, Sudan faces the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, with 21 million people lacking basic healthcare out of 34 million in need of aid. A WHO Public Health Situation Analysis from January 6, 2026, citing the October 2025 Health Resources and Services Availability Monitoring System (HeRAMS) report, found that 40 percent of health facilities nationwide are entirely nonoperational. In Khartoum, 87 percent of health facilities are closed; in North Kordofan, 85 percent are shut down. Shortages are especially severe in Gezira, Khartoum, Darfur, and the Kordofan regions.
“Sudan is confronting one of the gravest humanitarian and public health emergencies in the world today. The ongoing conflict has pushed the health system to the edge of complete collapse,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on April 4, 2026. He warned that “these incidents are stark reminders of the urgent need for renewed international solidarity and decisive political and humanitarian action. Sudan cannot endure this crisis alone.”
Before the war, local pharmaceutical factories produced large quantities of essential medicines, including treatments for blood pressure, diabetes, colds, and pediatric care. Most of those production lines are now inactive. Armed groups have repeatedly looted pharmacies and stripped hospitals of medical supplies, further crippling care. Degraded or improperly stored intravenous injections now pose additional risks, including bloodstream infections and death.