In a statement issued by his Spokesperson, UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed shock upon learning about multiple drone strikes on December 4 hitting a children’s nursery and a hospital in Kalogi, where the injured were receiving treatment.
Similarly, the head of UN World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, stated that Kalogi Rural Hospital was targeted at least three times, resulting in the deaths of 114 people, including 63 children.
Blood bank call
Survivors from those strikes have been transferred to Abu Jebaiha Hospital in South Kordofan for treatment, with urgent appeals made for blood donations and other medical support, Tedros noted in a statement posted on X.
“Disturbingly, paramedics and responders came under attack as they tried to move the injured from the kindergarten to the hospital,” Tedros added.
On the same day as those attacks, an aid convoy was also targeted in North Kordofan state. It was transporting life-saving supplies to North Darfur when it came under fire, seriously injuring the driver of a UN World Food Programme (WFP) truck.
“The Secretary-General deplores this further attack on humanitarian operations at a time of dire needs,” the statement continued.
Suffering on a huge scale
Aid agencies caution that the situation across Sudan remains catastrophic for millions of people caught up in the intense fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
In the central Kordofan region specifically, dire conditions are worsening as life-saving supplies diminish, while famine conditions have been confirmed in South Kordofan’s state capital, Kadugli.
“As fighting intensifies, the horrific human rights violations and abuses reported in El Fasher in recent months, as well as reports of serious violations of international humanitarian law, must not be repeated in the Kordofan region,” the UN chief’s Spokesperson insisted.
Amid reports of continued foreign involvement in the Sudan conflict, “the Secretary-General calls on all States with influence over the parties to take immediate action and use their leverage to compel an immediate halt to the fighting and stop the arms flows” fueling it, his Spokesperson’s statement added.
“The Secretary-General renews his call on the parties to agree on an immediate cessation of hostilities and to resume talks to reach a lasting ceasefire and a comprehensive, inclusive, and Sudanese-owned political process. The United Nations stands ready to support genuine steps to end the fighting in Sudan and chart a path towards a durable peace.”
UN rights chief’s plea
The development follows the UN’s human rights chief, Volker Türk, expressing fears of “another wave of atrocities” in Sudan.
Since late October, hundreds of civilians have been killed, and tens of thousands more have fled aerial strikes, shelling, and summary executions, he reported, amid mass civilian displacement involving over 45,000 people fleeing violence and seeking safety in or near Kordofan region.
“Safe passage for those fleeing the horror of famine, death and destruction is essential and a human rights imperative,” the High Commissioner’s office said.
In an appeal for “urgent diplomatic action,” the WFP’s Deputy Executive Director Carl Skau emphasized the need for greater attention to prevent further atrocities and help reverse famine.
Over 30 million people in Sudan now require humanitarian assistance, with more than nine million displaced inside the country since fighting erupted in April 2023 between SAF and paramilitary RSF.
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