“The reality for children in Sudan is growing darker hour by hour,” UNICEF spokeswoman Eva Hinds said as the country’s civil war entered its fourth year.
The fighting, which began in April 2023 after tensions between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) followed the collapse of a fragile transition after the 2019 uprising, has spread across much of Sudan. Cities have been devastated and, according to the World Health Organization, more than 13 million people have been displaced.
UNICEF reports that over 4,300 children have been killed or maimed since the conflict began, with Darfur and Kordofan states bearing the highest toll. Children and women have frequently been caught in the crossfire. Ashan Abeywardena, emergency response manager at War Child, described the severe psychological and daily impacts on minors after years of violence: their lives are marked by constant news of death and destruction.
Drones have become an increasingly common and deadly weapon used by both sides. Hinds warned that drones are “killing and wounding girls and boys in their homes, in markets, on the roads, near schools and health facilities — all places that should never be targets.” UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said nearly 700 civilians were reportedly killed in drone strikes in the first three months of this year alone.
Both the RSF and SAF have struck civilian infrastructure to slow each other’s advances, destroying hospitals, roads and schools and deepening the suffering of civilians reliant on those services.
The humanitarian emergency is spilling beyond Sudan’s borders. DW Kenya correspondent Andrew Wasike said the war has become both a humanitarian catastrophe and a regional security problem in East Africa, as displacement, disrupted trade routes and political tensions strain neighboring countries.
Despite the scale of the crisis, Sudan has struggled to maintain international attention. Denise Brown, the UN resident and humanitarian coordinator in Sudan, said the country has effectively been abandoned and documented widespread atrocities, including systematic sexual violence, sieges that have pushed communities toward famine, and mass killings — citing, for example, deadly fighting in el-Fasher last year when thousands were reportedly killed within days. “My question is, what is the world waiting for?” she asked, urging a global response comparable to other major crises.
Germany hosted an international donor conference in Berlin to raise funds for those affected by the war. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul expressed hope for more than $1 billion in pledges; he later announced that €1.3 billion had been pledged, following roughly $1 billion raised at last year’s conference in London.
This article was adapted from an episode of DW’s AfricaLink podcast.