CAIRO — The United Nations children’s agency announced Monday that more than 300 children have been killed or wounded over the past six months in Sudan’s ongoing war, with drone strikes accounting for the majority of those casualties.
Sudan has been locked in a devastating conflict between its national military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces since April 2023. Fighting is now centered in the Kordofan, Darfur, and Blue Nile states, where drone warfare is responsible for roughly 60% of all casualties, according to UNICEF.
The United Nations, the United States, the United Kingdom, and other nations have raised serious concerns about possible atrocities as the Rapid Support Forces and the military battle for control of el-Obeid, a strategically important city in North Kordofan.
The war has claimed the lives of at least 59,000 people, forced approximately 13 million from their homes, and driven large portions of Sudan into famine conditions. More than 30 million people currently require humanitarian assistance.
Drone attacks and artillery fire have struck civilian infrastructure — including schools, markets, and fuel and water stations — putting more than 500,000 people at risk. Civilians in affected areas have endured near-siege conditions for over a year.
“Children are being caught in a relentless cycle of violence, displacement and deprivation,” said Sheldon Yett, UNICEF’s representative for Sudan.
The U.N. urged all parties involved to shield civilians and civilian infrastructure from attack, open pathways for fast and unrestricted humanitarian aid delivery, and take every available step to keep children out of harm’s way.
