Sudan – Drone attacks paralyze hospitals and threaten the lives of thousands of women in Darfur and Kordofan

In the city of El Daein in East Darfur, a drone attack brought the main teaching hospital to a complete halt, as described by Dr. Badr al-Din Abdel Nabi, Area Director for East Darfur and West Kordofan at the international health NGO Alite: “Following the drone attack on Al Daein Teaching Hospital, the hospital stopped functioning completely… This has led to a severe gap in access to life-saving healthcare across the region.”

The medical official said that this sudden stop left residents with limited options, as basic services were transferred to one primary care center:

“Alite has stepped in to help fill this critical gap by activating comprehensive emergency obstetrics and neonatal care services at the Arab Centre… which is currently the only functioning facility providing sexual and reproductive health services throughout the state.”

El Obeid Hospital operates in extremely difficult conditions

In North Kordofan, the situation does not look any better. The city of El Obeid – which hosts large numbers of displaced people – faces repeated attacks that directly affect health facilities, including the El Obeid Maternity Hospital, which is the only referral hospital in western Sudan. The hospital provides services to more than 230,000 displaced people, most of whom are women and girls.

The hospital provides maternal and child health services to women in the city and surrounding areas. In just one month, the hospital recorded an average of 25 births per day. In 2025, the hospital performed 2,655 caesarean sections and 3,479 natural births.

Director of Al-Obeid Hospital, Dr. Hassan Babiker, highlighted the extent of the challenges: “The hospital is operating under extremely difficult conditions, including frequent power outages and high fuel costs.”

Despite the support provided by the United Nations Population Fund, especially in the field of solar energy, capabilities are still limited, according to Dr. Hassan Babiker, adding that the severe shortage of equipment and supplies exacerbates the crisis: “The hospital has seven operating rooms, but only four of them are currently operational… Maternal deaths have occurred as a result of complications related to anesthesia. We are facing a major shortage of antibiotics, sutures and gloves… and some patients have lost their lives due to long waiting times.”

Painful testimony

In some emergency situations, according to Dr. Hassan Babiker, the lack of capabilities becomes a matter of life or death. Among the most painful testimonies are those related to the case of premature twins who did not receive the necessary care: “A mother gave birth to triplets, all of whom were premature and needed central care. They were referred to the children’s hospital, but there were no beds available. We had to watch the children die before our eyes. Two of the three children died, and the third left with his mother, but we lost contact with him and do not know his fate.”

Health personnel continue to work despite the challenges

Suffering is not limited to patients only, but also includes health personnel who continue to work despite the harsh conditions. In light of the shortage of supplies, some midwives find themselves forced to bear the costs, according to Ms. Ensaf, the chief midwife at El Obeid Maternity Hospital:

“The salaries we receive are not even enough to cover the costs of basic transportation or the meals we need during our shifts. However, we continue to come to the hospital out of a deep sense of duty, and we have never stopped working. Often, women arrive without the ability to purchase basic maternity supplies, so we have to pay for them out of our own pocket. In addition, we do not have a proper uniform to work in the hospital, and we are forced to wear our personal clothes, which is inappropriate for a medical environment.”

We lack cotton and gauze

As for the work environment inside the delivery rooms, Laila Sarfo, the department supervisor, describes it by saying: “We do not have tables to place newborns on, nor do we have sufficient infection control equipment. Surgical instrument sterilization units are not working. We lack basic supplies such as sterile cotton and gauze, and we do not even have a baby scale. There is no air conditioning in the delivery rooms, which makes working conditions very difficult. The delivery rooms also lack any form of privacy, and need appropriate partitions to ensure the confidentiality and dignity of patients.”

Despite all this, she confirms that the hospital continues to receive displaced women and girls from various regions, at a time when needs are increasing and capabilities are declining.