Two children killed as bomb goes off near paediatric hospital in Sudan

Two children have been killed after a bomb fell near Nahar Paediatric Hospital in the western Sudanese city of El Fasher.

According to the BBC, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), the medical charity, said the blast “led to the collapse of the roof above the intensive care unit and the death of two children receiving treatment there, as well as some caregivers”.

Patients were also injured and those who could make it sought safety in another hospital.

It was not clear who was responsible for the “attack”.

The incident is the latest after nearly three months of conflict between Sudan’s army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group.

Clashes have recently intensified in the battle for control of the city of El Fasher.

It is the last major urban centre in the Darfur region that remains in the hands of the army.

While the army has managed to hold on to El Fasher, the tension has been mounting as the RSF has been besieging the city since the middle of April.

The southern part of the city, once considered safer and a refuge for displaced people, has been under fire.

In July 2023, three months after the conflict began, the United Nations (UN) had warned that the crisis in Sudan is likely to escalate into a full-scale civil war.

“There is an utter disregard for humanitarian and human rights law that is dangerous and disturbing,” Antonio Guterres, UN secretary-general said.