Daijiworld Media Network - Khartoum
Khartoum, Jul 6: More than 330 children were killed or injured in conflict-related violence across Sudan during the first six months of 2026, with the Darfur and Kordofan regions recording the highest number of child casualties, according to a new report released by United Nations Children's Fund.
The report highlighted a sharp escalation in violence since May, particularly in North Kordofan, where drone strikes and other attacks have increasingly affected civilians.
According to UNICEF, more than 35 children were reportedly killed or injured in the state since May. The casualties included at least 18 children killed and over 17 injured, with victims ranging in age from two months to 17 years. The agency said drone strikes were responsible for around 60 per cent of these child casualties, underscoring the growing humanitarian impact of aerial warfare.
The report noted that repeated shelling and drone attacks have caused extensive damage to civilian infrastructure, including homes, schools, healthcare facilities, water supply systems and marketplaces. The destruction has also disrupted humanitarian supply routes and placed additional pressure on already fragile essential services.
UNICEF warned that the situation in and around Al Obeid in North Kordofan has become particularly critical. It estimated that nearly 500,000 civilians in the area face heightened risks if the security situation continues to deteriorate, with children especially vulnerable to death, injury, displacement and other serious protection threats.
Describing the humanitarian crisis, UNICEF Representative to Sudan Sheldon Yett said children were trapped in an unending cycle of violence, displacement and deprivation.
He stressed that many children no longer have any safe refuge, with attacks occurring in homes, on roads, in markets and even while families attempt to access schools or healthcare facilities. Yett emphasised that children must never become targets of conflict and called for urgent measures to safeguard their lives, rights and future.
The UN agency urged all parties involved in the conflict to respect international humanitarian law by protecting civilians and civilian infrastructure, ensuring unhindered humanitarian access and taking every possible step to shield children from violence.
Beyond the immediate danger of death and injury, UNICEF warned that Sudanese children continue to face a wide range of grave violations, including forced recruitment by armed groups, abduction, sexual violence, and attacks on schools and hospitals, further deepening the humanitarian crisis facing the country's youngest population.