The World Health Organization confirmed Monday that 114 people were killed in devastating attacks on a kindergarten and hospital in Sudan’s South Kordofan state last week, with children accounting for more than half of the casualties. The strikes, which occurred on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025, represent one of the deadliest incidents targeting civilian facilities since the country’s civil war began in April 2023.
WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus described the attacks as “senseless” and called for an immediate ceasefire. According to the WHO’s Attacks on Health Care monitoring system, 63 children were among the dead, with 35 people wounded in the strikes that hit multiple locations in the town of Kalogi.
The assault began with repeated drone strikes on a kindergarten, followed by attacks on the nearby Kalogi Rural Hospital. Local official Essam al-Din al-Sayed, head of the Kalogi administrative unit, told AFP news agency that the strikes hit “first a kindergarten, then a hospital and a third time as people tried to rescue the children.”
Most of the children were killed in the initial strike on the kindergarten. As parents rushed to help and paramedics attempted to transport the injured to the adjacent hospital, they came under further attack. Parents and medical personnel were among the victims in the subsequent strikes, which involved the use of heavy weapons.
The WHO chief expressed particular concern about the targeting of emergency responders. “Disturbingly, paramedics and responders came under attack as they tried to move the injured from the kindergarten to the hospital,” Tedros stated. He added that WHO “deplores these senseless attacks on civilians and health facilities, and calls again for an end to the violence, and increased access to humanitarian aid, including health.”
Sudan’s Foreign Ministry condemned the attacks and attributed them to the Rapid Support Forces, specifically accusing the paramilitary group of using drones in the assault. The Sudan Doctors Network, a medical organization, also blamed the RSF for mounting the attack. The RSF did not immediately comment on the allegations, though the group has previously denied harming civilians during the ongoing conflict.
Survivors from the Dec. 4 attacks have been transferred to Abu Jebaiha Hospital in South Kordofan for treatment. Tedros said urgent calls are being made for blood donations and other medical support to assist the wounded. The attacks have strained an already fragile healthcare system in a region that has become a focal point of Sudan’s civil war.
The incident in Kalogi comes amid broader military developments in the region. The RSF claimed control of the Heglig oil field, located near Sudan’s border with South Sudan. The paramilitary force described the capture as a pivotal moment in the conflict. An army source told Reuters that government troops withdrew from the area to protect oil facilities and prevent damage to the infrastructure.
The Heglig oil field holds strategic importance for both Sudan and South Sudan, which gained independence in 2011. The facility houses the main processing center for South Sudanese oil, a critical source of revenue for South Sudan’s government and an important contributor to Sudan’s hard-currency earnings.
South Kordofan state has been situated on the frontlines of Sudan’s civil war, positioned between the capital Khartoum and the Darfur region. The conflict erupted when a power struggle developed between the RSF and the Sudanese army, who had previously been allies. The battle for the Kordofan states has intensified as military forces push toward Darfur, which remains under RSF control.
The region consisting of North Kordofan, South Kordofan and West Kordofan has a combined population of nearly eight million people. Many areas have experienced an influx of internally displaced persons fleeing violence elsewhere in the country. The ongoing conflict has disrupted humanitarian aid access and devastated civilian infrastructure, including hospitals and schools that serve vulnerable populations.
Attacks on healthcare facilities have become a recurring pattern in Sudan’s civil war. In October, Tedros accused the RSF of killing hundreds of civilians at the main hospital in the Darfur city of el-Fasher. The WHO has documented numerous incidents through its Attacks on Health Care monitoring system, which tracks violence against medical facilities and personnel.
International humanitarian organizations have struggled to deliver assistance in conflict zones where active fighting continues. Medical supplies, emergency personnel and basic services remain in critically short supply across much of the country. The WHO has repeatedly called for safe passage for humanitarian aid and protection for civilians and healthcare workers.
Without directly attributing blame for the Kalogi attacks, Tedros posted on X that “Sudanese have suffered far too much. Ceasefire now!” The statement reflects growing international frustration over the prolonged conflict and its mounting civilian toll. The civil war has displaced millions of people and created one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises.