clear

Creating new perspectives since 2009

WHO says Sudan health system ‘under attack’ after strikes in South Kordofan

February 9, 2026 at 12:12 pm

Al Afad camp hosts displaced people from the Darfur and Kurdufan regions, primarily from Fashir, the capital of North Darfur state in al-Dabbah, Sudan on January 13, 2026. [Muhammed Emin Canik – Anadolu Agency]

The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that Sudan’s health system is “under attack”, reporting that three health facilities in South Kordofan were targeted within a single week.

Since October 2025, the three Kordofan states — North, West and South — have seen intense fighting between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a post on X that “the health system in Sudan is under attack once again”.

Sharing a WHO statement dated 6 February, he noted that three health facilities in South Kordofan — an area already affected by acute malnutrition — had been struck over the course of a week.

According to the organisation, an attack on 3 February on a primary healthcare centre killed eight people, including five children and three women, and injured 11 others.

It added that an attack on 4 February on a hospital resulted in one death, while another strike on 5th February killed 22 people, including four healthcare workers, and injured eight others.

The WHO said the international community must support peace efforts in Sudan to end the violence, protect civilians and rebuild the country’s fragile health system.

Sudanese authorities and human rights groups have accused the RSF of targeting civilian facilities. The RSF has not publicly commented on the specific allegations and says it is committed to protecting civilians.

READ: UN says 8.1 million women in Sudan will need reproductive health services in 2026