WHO Warns of Increase in Attacks on Medical Facilities in Sudan

Khartoum: The World Health Organization (WHO) revealed Wednsday that the number of attacks on medical facilities in Sudan has increased in recent weeks, as battles have continued for more than a year. Hanan Balkhi, Regional Director of the World Health Organization (WHO) for the Eastern Mediterranean, confirmed in a video press conference that since the start of the war in April 2023, the WHO has verified 82 attacks on health care facilities in Sudan, adding that the last six weeks alone have witnessed 17 attacks on these facilities. Balkhi explained that the Adre crossing is the most important for saving lives in Sudan, especially after WHO teams were able to bring aid through it to more than 200,000 people in North Darfur State, which is one of the states most affected by the war. For his part, Shibl Sahbani, representative of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Sudan, said during a press conference Wednsday that there are seven aid trucks on their way to Darfur from Port Sudan, adding that from the b eginning of the year until this month, the WHO was able to distribute 510 tons of medicines and care supplies in Sudan. Sahbani warned again about the spread of hunger in areas of Sudan, noting that it is a greater cause of displacement than avoiding war and battles. UN calls are increasing to spare Sudan a humanitarian catastrophe that could push millions to famine and death due to food shortages, as the armed conflict that extended to 12 states out of 18 in the country, and claimed the lives of thousands of civilians, and the displacement and asylum of more than ten million and 700 thousand people inside and outside the country, in addition to pushing about 25 million people, that is, more than half of the population, to depend on international aid. Source: Qatar News Agency