Nearly 1,000 People Killed in Sudan While Seeking Healthcare
Sudan Events – Agencies
A UN humanitarian organization has reported that nearly 1,000 people were killed in Sudan over the past six months while seeking medical care or visiting loved ones in hospitals—a shocking and alarming surge.
In a statement issued on Thursday, Save the Children said that at least 933 people, including children, were killed in more than 38 incidents during the first six months of 2025, according to the World Health Organization.
The organization explained that this figure is almost 60 times the number of reported deaths during the same period last year.
It added that over 148 people were injured in attacks on healthcare facilities in the first half of 2025—almost three times the number of injuries reported during the same time frame in 2024.
Francesco Lanino, Deputy Country Director for Programs and Operations at Save the Children in Sudan, stated:
“The number of people killed and injured in direct attacks on healthcare this year is deeply concerning. Yet, the greatest danger these attacks pose is that families and children are choosing not to seek services at hospitals when needed, resorting instead to unsafe traditional methods.”
He added: “We are worried that, in most cases, the hospitals that were bombed were the only remaining ones in those areas, making healthcare inaccessible to millions, including displaced people. With at least 80% of hospitals in Sudan destroyed due to the conflict, every effort must be made to protect the few remaining facilities still providing services.”
Deadly attacks have targeted clinics, health facilities, major hospitals, ambulances, and medical convoys, while the looting of drug and medical supply warehouses has further endangered the population. Half of Sudan’s population—30.4 million people—now need humanitarian aid.
Save the Children noted that while attacks on healthcare have been ongoing since the conflict erupted in April 2023, the sudden surge in casualties this year is alarming, with nearly four times the number of deaths recorded in 2025 compared to 2023 and 2024 combined.
In addition to direct attacks on hospitals, the looting of medical supplies is worsening the suffering of millions across Sudan. This includes the theft of ready-to-use therapeutic food—a vital treatment for children suffering from severe acute malnutrition—from UNICEF supplies at Al-Bashair Hospital in the capital, Khartoum, in March, as well as from Save the Children facilities.
