By Merve Aydogan
HAMILTON, Canada (AA) - UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres "strongly" condemned Monday an attack on a Saudi hospital in Sudan.
"The Secretary-General strongly condemns the attack that hit the Saudi Teaching Hospital in El Fasher in Sudan’s North Darfur state on 24 January, in which at least 70 patients and their relatives were reportedly killed, with dozens more wounded," said a statement by spokesman's office.
Describing the attack as "appalling," Guterres stated that the ongoing war in Sudan has caused country's "health care system in tatters."
"The Secretary-General reiterates that, under international humanitarian law, the wounded and sick, as well as medical personnel and medical facilities, must be respected and protected at all times," it said, calling for accountabilty for the prepetrators.
Guterres also stressed that "the deliberate targeting of health care facilities may constitute a war crime."
"The Secretary-General renews his appeal for the parties to immediately cease the fighting and take steps towards the lasting peace that the people of Sudan demand," it added.
More than 70 people were killed in Saturday's drone strike, blamed on the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), on the Saudi Teaching Maternity Hospital in El Fasher, the capital of the North Darfur state.
In Sudan, the war between the RSF and the Sudanese army has continued since April 2023. Both have accused each other of war crimes, including targeting civilians and indiscriminately shelling residential areas, resulting in the deaths of tens of thousands of people.