At least 330 children killed or injured in Sudan in first half of 2026

At least 330 children have been killed or injured in Sudan in the first six months of 2026, with the Darfur and Kordofan regions recording the highest child casualty rates, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

“Children across Sudan continue to bear the brunt of an increasingly deadly war,” UNICEF said in a press release on Monday.

The situation in and around El Obeid, in North Kordofan State, is particularly alarming, with drone strikes and other attacks reported to have resulted in more than 35 child casualties since May, including at least 18 children killed, UNICEF stated.

Drone strikes accounted for 60 per cent of those casualties, the agency said, adding that an estimated 500,000 civilians are at risk in the area.

“For many children, there is no safe place left … children must never be targets,” said Sheldon Yett, UNICEF Representative in Sudan, as quoted by the agency.

UNICEF urged all parties to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, and to allow safe, rapid, and unimpeded humanitarian access.

Since the conflict erupted in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, nearly 5 million Sudanese children have been displaced, according to a UNICEF press release in mid-April.

Approximately 4.2 million children are expected to suffer from acute malnutrition this year, and around 8 million children are out of school, UNICEF added.