Three Dilling hospitals forced out of service after drone and artillery strikes
January 11, 2025 (DILLING) – Three hospitals in the city of Dilling in South Kordofan State have ceased operations following targeted attacks involving drones and heavy artillery by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) led by Abdelaziz al-Hilu, the Sudan Doctors Network announced on Sunday.
The RSF and the SPLM-N have intensified their bombardment of Dilling, the second-largest city in South Kordofan, using artillery and drones over the past few weeks. These strikes coincided with aerial attacks on the state capital of Kadugli and have resulted in dozens of fatalities and the destruction of essential service facilities.
The Sudan Doctors Network said in a statement that the three major hospitals are now out of service and confirmed that four medical personnel were killed during the deliberate shelling by the RSF and al-Hilu’s movement.
The network reported a sharp deterioration in the city’s health situation following attacks on medical facilities. The closure of these hospitals and treatment centres has led to the suspension of vital services, exacerbating residents’ suffering and reducing the capacity to provide basic health services. While some facilities continue to operate with extremely limited resources to meet emergency needs, the systematic and ongoing artillery fire continues to hamper medical efforts.
According to monitoring by the Sudan Doctors Network team in Dilling, the three main hospitals knocked out of service by the bombardment are the Military Hospital, the main Health Insurance Centre, and the Dilling Teaching Hospital. This has forced patients to rely on limited facilities such as the Mother Bakhita Hospital, small neighbourhood health centres, and the health insurance branch at the University of Dilling, all of which face severe shortages of staff and supplies.
The network held the RSF and the SPLM-N fully responsible for these violations, describing them as a clear breach of international humanitarian law. It emphasized that attacks on hospitals and treatment centres endanger the lives of civilians, patients, and medical staff, noting that four medical workers were killed and three others injured while performing their duties inside these facilities.
The international community and humanitarian organizations have been urged by the network to intervene urgently to protect health facilities and provide immediate medical and logistical support to Dilling. The group also demanded an end to the targeting of health infrastructure, guaranteed unhindered access for humanitarian aid, and accountability for those responsible for these violations.
Dilling is currently witnessing massive waves of civilian displacement toward North Kordofan. Displaced persons face a perilous journey marked by widespread abuses committed by the RSF, which controls the national highway linking Dilling to El Obeid in North Kordofan.