A drone strike on a clinic in the western Sudanese city of Nyala, which is under paramilitary control, has killed at least 12 people, a war monitoring group said Sunday, blaming the army for the attack.
The strike hit at around midday Saturday on the Yashfeen clinic in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur, according to a source from the Emergency Lawyers group, which has been documenting atrocities during the two-year conflict between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.
The source, who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity for their safety, said they expected the death toll to rise, as preliminary reports had indicated that dozens of civilians and medical staff may have been killed.
Now in its third year, Sudan’s war has killed tens of thousands, displaced millions and triggered what the United Nations describes as the world’s worst displacement and hunger crisis.
The lawyers group said in a statement that four women were killed outside the clinic and a nearby hotel was damaged. Several children who were receiving treatment at the time were among the wounded, it added.
There was no immediate comment from the Sudanese army.
Medical facilities have repeatedly been targeted during the conflict. Across the country, up to 80 percent of healthcare facilities have been forced to shut down, according to official figures.
While the army holds the north, east and west of the country, the RSF controls nearly all of Darfur and parts of the south.
Last month, the RSF announced a parallel government based in Nyala, where Mohamed Hassan al-Taayshi was sworn in as prime minister on Sunday.
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© Agence France-Presse
