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More than 300 children have been killed or injured in Sudan over the past six months, with drone strikes responsible for the majority of casualties, the UN children’s agency UNICEF said on Monday.
Sudan has been gripped by conflict since April 2023, when fighting erupted between the Sudanese military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
According to UNICEF, the violence is now concentrated in Kordofan, Darfur and Blue Nile states, where drone attacks account for around 60 percent of child casualties.
The United Nations, along with the United States, the United Kingdom and other countries, has warned of a growing risk of further atrocities as both sides intensify their battle for control of the strategic city of El-Obeid in North Kordofan.
The war has so far killed at least 59,000 people, displaced around 13 million and pushed vast areas of the country toward famine. More than 30 million people are now in need of humanitarian assistance.
UNICEF said drone strikes and artillery shelling have damaged key civilian infrastructure, including schools, markets, fuel depots and water facilities, placing more than 500,000 people at risk.
Many communities have endured conditions resembling a prolonged siege for over a year.
“Children are being caught in a relentless cycle of violence, displacement and deprivation,” said Sheldon Yett, UNICEF’s representative in Sudan.
The UN has urged all parties to protect civilians and critical infrastructure, ensure safe and unhindered humanitarian access, and take all possible measures to keep children out of harm’s way.