News Center- World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director Dr Hanan Balkhy held a press briefing on Wednesday after her return from the United Arab Emirates, where she visited WHO’s logistics hub in Dubai.

WHO has verified 82 attacks on health care in Sudan since the start of the war on 15 April 2023, she said, stressing that seventeen of these attacks occurred in just the last six weeks.

“As reiterated many times by WHO, protecting health care is non-negotiable under international humanitarian law. No Member State is exempt from this legal obligation.”

Since April 15, 2023, Sudan has suffered from a civil war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) under Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) under Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti), killing tens of thousands of people and displacing approximately 10 million people.

“In Sudan, people living in the Darfur states, Kordofan states, Khartoum state and Al Gezira state are essentially cut off from aid. The situation in the Darfur states is particularly alarming, including in places like El Fasher, where more than 800 000 people remain unable to access food and health care,” Dr Hanan Balkhy said.

“We continue to advocate for the opening of the Adre crossing between Chad and north Darfur, which would be truly life-saving. Adre is the most reliable crossing, especially during the wet season, when other routes become impassable.”