U.N. ‘Horrified’ After 460 Reported Killed at El Fasher Hospital

30 October 2025

Al-Saudi Maternity Hospital in Al Fasher partially destroyed following artillery strikes in October 2024. UN photo

October 29, 2025 (NEW YORK) – The United Nations said on Wednesday it was “horrified” by reports that more than 460 civilians, including patients and their companions, were killed at a hospital in Sudan’s El Fasher, condemning the attack amid a worsening humanitarian catastrophe in the Darfur region.

The “tragic killing” at the Saudi Maternity Hospital is the latest in a series of indiscriminate attacks targeting civilians and medical facilities since the conflict began. U.N. spokesman Stéphane Dujarric stated that prior to this incident, the World Health Organization had already verified 185 attacks on healthcare in Sudan, resulting in over 1,200 deaths of health workers and patients since April 2023.

The attack comes as tens of thousands flee the violence. The International Organization for Migration reports that more than 36,000 people fled El Fasher between Sunday and Tuesday, with many now living in the open without shelter or protection.

The killing of aid workers also continued in other parts of the country. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said it was horrified after five Sudanese Red Crescent volunteers were killed and three went missing while distributing food in North Kordofan. A total of 21 Red Crescent staff and volunteers have been killed since the war started.

“We can’t stress enough that civilians, humanitarian workers and medical personnel must be always protected,” Dujarric said, reiterating the U.N.’s call for an immediate halt to hostilities.

In response to the escalating crisis, the U.N.’s Emergency Relief Coordinator approved a new $20 million allocation from the Central Emergency Response Fund for Sudan.

Sudan expels WFP officials

Separately, the U.N. condemned the Sudanese government’s decision to expel two senior World Food Programme (WFP) officials from the country.

The WFP’s Country Director and Emergency Coordinator were declared persona non grata and ordered to leave within 72 hours, without any explanation being provided.

Dujarric called the decision deeply concerning, stating it “comes at a pivotal time” when over 24 million people in Sudan face acute food insecurity. He confirmed that senior U.N. officials are engaging with Sudanese authorities to protest the action and seek clarification.