European coalition: East Darfur hospital bombing ‘unacceptable and deplorable’
Analysis of satellite imagery collected between 06 January and 24 March 2026 shows damage due to multiple munition impacts at the Teaching Hospital in Ed Daein. The damage to the facility is consistent with that from an aerial munition (Image: Yale School of Public Health’s Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL) / Vantor)
The Coalition for Atrocity Prevention and Justice in Sudan – including Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway and the UK – has condemned the deadly drone strike on a hospital in Ed Daein in East Darfur, Sudan, warning of a worsening pattern of attacks on civilians and healthcare facilities amid the country’s ongoing conflict.
In a joint statement, members of the Coalition have expressed “collective outrage and profound sorrow” over the deadly strike on Ed Daein Teaching Hospital during Eid celebrations on 20 March.
“This unacceptable and deplorable attack is not an isolated incident,” the coalition says. “There is a clear pattern of attacks by all warring parties affecting protected persons and objects in the armed conflict, and it is having a devastating impact on civilians.”
According to the World Health Organization, at least 64 people were killed, including 13 children, with dozens more injured. The UN’s human rights office reported that a doctor and multiple health workers were among the casualties, and said the attack had forced key hospital departments, including emergency and maternity services, to cease operations.
The coalition warned the strike was not an isolated incident but part of a broader pattern of attacks by warring parties on protected civilians and infrastructure. Since the conflict began, more than 2,000 people have reportedly been killed in attacks on health centres, while over 500 civilians have died in drone strikes in the first months of 2026 alone.
Such violence is severely disrupting humanitarian operations, access to healthcare, and local economies, exacerbating food insecurity in already vulnerable regions.
The statement raised concerns that these actions may constitute violations of international humanitarian law and could amount to war crimes, calling for accountability and improved protection for civilians. It also urged all parties to allow unhindered humanitarian access and to cooperate with international justice mechanisms.
The coalition further criticised countries and actors supplying weapons, including drones, warning they must recognise the impact of their actions on Sudanese civilians.
Calling for an end to the conflict, the group urged all sides to engage in dialogue “in good faith”, stressing that the people of Sudan “desperately need and deserve peace”.
As previously reported by Radio Dabanga, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) denied responsibility, insisting it adheres to international norms and accusing the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of similar attacks elsewhere.
The RSF accused the SAF of launching the drone that had struck the hospital.
‘Berlin conference the first major opportunity’
In an open letter issued on March 26, the Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect welcomes the announcement by Foreign Ministers of the Sudan Core Group. “The commitment to establish a coalition to ‘prevent further atrocities in Sudan and support the Sudanese people to lay the foundations for eventual justice’ is a vital and overdue step in the international response to one of the world’s most devastating crises: one that we have collectively long called for,” the letter, undersigned by several prominent international organisations* says.
‘It won’t bring back those we’ve lost but the international momentum is so critical right now…’
“We share the collective outrage at the scale of suffering inflicted on Sudanese civilians by all parties to the conflict. It demands urgent, coordinated, and sustained action. The UN Fact-Finding Mission’s findings on El Fasher, laying bare the full horror of the Rapid Support Forces’ 18-month siege, and the ‘risk of further genocidal violence’, make clear that the time for half-measures has passed. The Sudanese people have waited far too long for the international community to match its words with action. As one of our Sudanese allies stated, it won’t bring back those we’ve lost but the international momentum is so critical right now.”
The signatories underline that the Berlin Conference on 15 April, convening as the crisis enters its fourth year, provides the coalition’s first major opportunity. “We urge the UK, members of the Coalition and co-hosts of the conference to bring meaningful collective prioritisation to the distinct need to protect civilians and prevent further atrocities in addition to necessary efforts to secure unfettered aid access and a halt to supply of weapons and military support to the warring parties. We urge members of the Coalition to make clear to the warring parties that they will face swift and meaningful consequences for a failure to end ongoing atrocities, including widespread sexual violence, deliberate attacks on civilians, humanitarian workers and local responders, as will those who aid and abet such actions. Sudanese civil society and the voices of survivors must be at the heart of discussions in Berlin and the work of the Coalition, not consulted on the margins.”
The signatories conclude by highlighting: “Drawing on our collective expertise and our connections to Sudanese civil society, our organisations stand ready to support this initiative. We hope this marks a sincere turning point. We look forward to working with the Coalition and its members to raise the ceiling of collective ambition and support bold follow-through to protect civilians and prevent further atrocities across all of Sudan.”
Statement signatories:
Alliance for Peacebuilding
CSW (Christian Solidarity Worldwide)
CAFOD
Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect
Nonviolent Peaceforce
PAEMA
Plan International UK
Protection Approaches
Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights
Humanitarian Aid Relief Trust (HART)
Human Rights Watch
Waging Peace
Women4Sudan
and then