NAIROBI, Kenya— Sixteen million children in Sudan are caught in a relentless storm of violence, starvation, and disease, according to UNICEF.
The country’s brutal civil war has transformed homes, schools, and hospitals into battlegrounds, with young lives hanging in the balance.
A War on Childhood: Famine, Disease, and Violence
The numbers paint a grim picture.
More than 1.3 million children under five are trapped in famine hotspots, and another 3 million are at risk of deadly diseases like cholera, malaria, and dengue due to a collapsing health system.
Education is also a casualty—16.5 million young people are out of school, a devastating setback for a generation.
The situation is particularly horrifying for the youngest victims.
UNICEF’s Executive Director Catherine Russell revealed that in some recorded cases, children as young as one had suffered unspeakable acts of violence.
#Sudan is not just a crisis, it is a poly-crisis affecting every sector, warns @unicefchief Over 30 million people – more than half of them children – are living in the grip of mass atrocities, famine and deadly disease news.un.org/en/story/2025/…
The trauma inflicted will not simply vanish when the war ends. “They will need ongoing care and support to heal and rebuild their lives,” Russell emphasized.
Sexual Violence: A Ruthless Weapon of War
The horrors don’t stop at hunger and disease. Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has treated 385 survivors of sexual violence in Sudan, including girls under five.
“The vast majority had been raped, often by armed men,” said MSF Secretary General Christopher Lockyear. The attacks are not random—women and girls are being deliberately targeted and brutalized.
Many of these assaults happen in the fields, where women try to gather food amid the chaos. But there is no safe place in Sudan—violence follows them home, to schools, to hospitals.
Lockyear described witnessing a scene of utter carnage at a partner hospital in Omdurman, where he saw firsthand how lives are being torn apart.
“Children in Sudan are enduring unimaginable suffering and horrific violence.” — @UNICEF chief tells Security Council every aspect of life in Sudan – from health and nutrition to water, education and safety – is being devastated by ongoing conflict. news.un.org/en/story/2025/…
Aid Blocked, Calls Ignored—What Happens Now?
Despite repeated calls for an end to the war, Sudan’s two warring factions—the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF)—continue their power struggle with devastating consequences.
The United Nations has accused both sides of grave human rights violations.
While world leaders issue statements, civilians remain in desperate need of aid. UNICEF has launched a $1 billion emergency appeal to provide food, medical care, clean water, and education for 8.7 million children.
Schools, hospitals and health centres in #Sudan have been targeted, looted and destroyed. Health workers have been attacked simply for doing their job. To save children’s lives, the violence must stop. #ChildrenUnderAttack
But aid delivery is being obstructed, and without global pressure, millions will remain trapped in this humanitarian catastrophe.
“The situation is so catastrophic for millions of people, it should be on all of our consciences every single day,” Lockyear told reporters.
This isn’t just another crisis. Sudan’s children are growing up amid gunfire, starvation, and trauma that could haunt them for a lifetime.
The world cannot afford to look away. Action is needed—immediately.
