The World Health Organization confirmed that 114 people were killed in attacks on a kindergarten and hospital in Sudan’s South Kordofan state on Dec. 4, 2025, marking one of the deadliest civilian massacres since the country’s civil war began in April 2023. Among the dead were 63 children, with an additional 35 people wounded in the series of strikes.
The attacks began with repeated strikes on a kindergarten in the town of Kalogi before continuing at the nearby Kalogi Rural Hospital. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus described the violence as senseless and condemned the targeting of civilian infrastructure. Heavy weapons were used in the assault, which struck the hospital at least three times as emergency responders attempted to save lives.
“Disturbingly, paramedics and responders came under attack as they tried to move the injured from the kindergarten to the hospital,” Tedros said. “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.”
Most of the children were killed in the initial strike on the kindergarten. As parents and medics rushed to respond, they became victims themselves in subsequent attacks. The pattern of strikes suggested deliberate targeting of rescue efforts, a tactic that has drawn international condemnation in conflicts worldwide.
Essam al-Din al-Sayed, head of the Kalogi administrative unit, confirmed that drone attacks struck first the kindergarten, then the hospital, and a third time as people attempted to rescue the children. The use of drones in populated areas has become increasingly common in Sudan’s civil war, enabling armed groups to strike with precision while minimizing their own casualties.
Sudan’s Foreign Ministry condemned the attacks and accused the Rapid Support Forces of carrying them out using drones. The Sudan Doctors Network also pointed to the RSF as responsible for the violence. The paramilitary group, which has been fighting Sudan’s army since the civil war erupted, has not immediately responded to the allegations and has previously denied harming civilians.
Survivors of the attacks were moved to Abu Jebaiha Hospital in South Kordofan for treatment. Medical staff at the facility issued urgent appeals for blood donations and other medical support as they struggled to care for the wounded. The regional healthcare system has been severely strained by nearly two years of conflict, with facilities operating under difficult conditions and facing shortages of essential supplies.
The Kalogi attacks occurred as fighting in the Kordofan region intensifies. South Kordofan has become a strategic battleground between the RSF and Sudan’s army, with the area serving as a critical corridor between the capital Khartoum and the western Darfur region. The province has seen an influx of internally displaced people fleeing violence elsewhere in the country.
In a separate development highlighting the expanding scope of the conflict, the RSF claimed control of the Heglig oil field near Sudan’s southern border. The facility represents a strategic asset, as it houses the main processing infrastructure for oil that provides crucial revenue for both Sudan and neighboring South Sudan. Control of such economic resources has become a key objective for both sides in the war.
The civil war began in April 2023 when a power struggle erupted between the Rapid Support Forces and Sudan’s army, two groups that had previously been allies. The conflict has devastated the country, displacing millions and creating a humanitarian crisis that international aid organizations have struggled to address. Access to affected areas remains severely limited, hampering relief efforts.
South Kordofan, along with North Kordofan and West Kordofan, forms a region with a combined population of almost eight million people. The three provinces have become a frontline in the civil war as the army attempts to push toward Darfur, which remains under RSF control. Civilians in these contested areas face violence from both sides as well as shortages of food, water and medical care.
The WHO maintains an Attacks on Health Care monitoring system that tracks violence against medical facilities and personnel worldwide. The database recorded the full toll from the Dec. 4 incident, combining casualties from the kindergarten strikes, the transfer of patients to the adjacent rural hospital, and the attacks at the facility itself. Such documentation serves as a record of potential war crimes and violations of international humanitarian law.
International humanitarian organizations have repeatedly called for both sides in Sudan’s civil war to respect the protection of civilians and medical facilities under the Geneva Conventions. However, enforcement mechanisms remain weak, and accountability for attacks on civilian infrastructure has been virtually nonexistent. The conflict shows no signs of resolution, with both the RSF and Sudan’s army maintaining their positions and continuing military operations across multiple fronts.
