New Yale HRL report: ‘SAF’s deliberate Eid El Fitr air strike on East Darfur hospital a war crime’
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)
New detailed satellite imagery analysis confirms that Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) targeted El Daein Teaching Hospital in the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) controlled capital of East Darfur an aerial attack in Rapid Support Forces (RSF)-controlled El Daein, East Darfur on Friday, March 20, the first day of Eid El Fitr, that ends the holy month of Ramadan.
A report published yesterday by the Yale School of Public Health’s Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL), which cites Radio Dabanga among its sources, concludes that the damage to the hospital was caused by precision aerial munitions, with at least three distinct strike points. “The lack of damage to surrounding buildings suggests the facility itself was deliberately targeted.”
As previously reported by Radio Dabanga, A drone strike at Ed Daein Teaching Hospital killed at least 64 people, including 13 children and three medical staff, and forced the only functioning hospital in the area out of service, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said.
The strike took place on Friday during Eid El Fitr, wounding a further 89 people, including eight health workers. The attack damaged key departments, rendering the facility inoperable.
In a statement by the WHO on Saturday, they confirmed that more than 2,000 people have now been killed in 213 documented attacks on health facilities since the war began in April 2023.
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 new HRL report includes imagery from 20–24 March 2026 that shows blast marks, debris and damage to the road outside. Local reports describe two airstrikes in quick succession—a pattern often referred to as a “double tap”, in which an initial strike is followed by another aimed at rescuers. However, this cannot be confirmed from imagery alone.
Inside the hospital, patient wards were destroyed, parts of the roof collapsed, and debris was strewn across rooms and beds. Large breaches were visible in walls and ceilings. The paediatrics, maternity and emergency departments were all affected. Doors and windows were blown out, and damage to the main gate forced the hospital to close entirely.
At least 153 people were reported killed or injured, including 64 fatalities. Among the dead were 13 children, a doctor, two nurses, and seven women—three of them pregnant.
The hospital, the largest in East Darfur, serves some 3.5m people, including 900,000 internally displaced. It provides essential services, including dialysis, and functions as a teaching facility.
Under international humanitarian law, hospitals are protected and may be attacked only if used for military purposes and after due warning. The report found no evidence that either condition was met, the HRL report point out.
Drawing on satellite imagery, remote-sensing data and open-source material, the report concludes that the hospital was directly targeted in multiple airstrikes. The attack caused extensive destruction, halted medical services and may amount to a serious violation of international humanitarian law.
Read the complete Yale School of Public Health’s Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL) report here
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