330 Children in Sudan Killed and Injured in First Half of 2026

At least 330 children were killed or injured in Sudan during the first six months of 2022, as fighting between the army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) was "increasingly deadly" for children, the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF) said on Monday.

"Children across Sudan continue to bear the brunt of an increasingly deadly war," UNICEF said in a statement, launching Anadolu (6/7).

The agency further said that the states of Darfur and Kordofan continue to record the highest rates of child casualties.

"The situation in and around El-Obeid (the capital of North Kordofan), and more broadly across North Kordofan, is of great concern," UNICEF warned.

Since May, drone strikes and other attacks have killed at least 18 children and injured 17 others in the state.

"Children are trapped in a cycle of violence, displacement, and unrelenting deprivation," said Sheldon Yett, UNICEF representative for Sudan.

"For many children, there is no longer a safe place," he said.

"They are killed and injured in their homes, on the street, in markets, and while trying to access essential services such as education and health care. Children should not be targeted. Their lives, rights, and futures must be protected," Yett said.

UNICEF warned that the threat of attacks had deepened fear, anxiety, and trauma among children, especially in communities facing repeated bombings and displacement.

"The conflict continues to expose them to grave violations, including recruitment and use, abduction, sexual violence, and attacks on schools and hospitals," he explained.

UN officials have warned of a humanitarian catastrophe and human rights violations in El-Obeid as the RSF continues to carry out attacks on the town.

On Sunday, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) warned El-Obeid could face the same fate as El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, where mass human rights violations were reported after the RSF took over the city in 2025.

Sudan has been embroiled in conflict since April 2023, when fighting broke out between the army and the RSF over plans to integrate the paramilitary force into the military.

The war has triggered one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, killing tens of thousands of people and causing nearly 13 million to flee.