No child is safe in Al Fasher as conflict continues to devastate lives.
Amid escalating violence, an estimated 130,000 children in Al Fasher, North Darfur, are at high risk of grave rights violations, with reports of abduction, killing, maiming, and sexual violence. For nearly two years, children and their families have been trapped under siege, cut off from food, water, and healthcare.
UNICEF calls for an immediate ceasefire, safe and unimpeded humanitarian access, and protection of all children.
Sudan: the biggest child displacement in the world
Spanning from the southern edge of the Sahara Desert in Africa’s northeast, Sudan is a rich blend of African, Middle Eastern and Mediterranean influences. Yet, behind its diversity and history lies a country scarred by decades of political instability, economic hardship and civil war.
Today, Sudan is gripped by a devastating conflict that has torn communities apart and forced millions from their homes, creating the largest child displacement crisis in the world. Families have fled from one region to another and to neighbouring countries such as Chad, Ethiopia and Egypt in search of safety.
Inside Sudan, the situation is dire. Widespread hunger, severe malnutrition, collapsing health systems, and relentless trauma are threatening an entire generation. In some areas, famine is no longer a looming threat, but a devastating reality. Every day, children confront unimaginable risks – disease, loss of education, and their sense of safety – while humanitarian access remains severely restricted in parts of the country.
Alongside our partners, UNICEF continues to work in Sudan and neighbouring countries, delivering lifesaving supplies and services to children and their families.
Latest news
Famine conditions confirmed in Sudan’s Al Fasher
The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, the World Food Programme and UNICEF warn of the highest levels of acute food insecurity and malnutrition in Al Fasher and Kadugli, while there have been improvements where fighting has receded and services have resumed.
The cost of the Sudan crisis on children
Since the conflict escalated in April 2023 into a full civil war, the impact on the lives of Sudan’s children has been immense.
Sudan's conflict
15.2 m
Over 15.2 million children are in need of humanitarian support.
7.9 m
More than 7.9 million school-aged children are missing out on education.
45%
Around 45 per cent of Sudan’s population are facing severe hunger, with areas already experiencing famine.
Before the war: Sudan’s many challenges
Before the conflict escalated in April 2023, Sudan was already experiencing a humanitarian crisis with 15.8 million people – about a third of the total population requiring humanitarian assistance, fuelled by disease outbreaks, economic and political instability and climate emergencies. Floods and droughts have devastated crops and livestock, and since the Darfur Crisis in 2003, Sudan has become home to over a million refugees from South Sudan and Ethiopia. Sadly, generations of children have grown up knowing nothing but conflict, as families have been enduring multiple civil wars and ongoing fighting since 1955.
How is UNICEF responding in Sudan?
Even amid a worsening and complex crisis, UNICEF continues to deliver lifesaving support to children and families in need, including in areas with limited access and significant security risks.
Since the onset of the latest crisis in 2023, UNICEF and our partners have reached millions of children and their families with safe drinking water, lifesaving healthcare and nutrition, child protection services, and psychosocial support. We’ve created safe, child-friendly spaces where children can learn, play and begin to heal, while continuing to advocate for a lasting ceasefire and the safe reopening of schools wherever possible.
11.8 m
This year, UNICEF provided safe drinking water to more than 11.8 million people.
2.6 m
This year, over 2.6 million children and caregivers received UNICEF-supported community-based mental health and psychosocial.
16,000
This year, UNICEF helped reunite or find alternative care for more than 16,000 unaccompanied or separated children.
350,000
This year, over 350,000 children under five with severe malnutrition were treated at UNICEF-supported health facilities.
The different ways you can support children in Sudan
UNICEF’s history in Sudan
UNICEF has been working in Sudan for more than 70 years, starting its first programs in 1952 and opening a permanent office in Khartoum in 1974. Since then, UNICEF has supported children and their families across the country through decades of change, crisis, and recovery. From helping babies receive their first vaccinations and treating malnourished children, to providing clean water, healthcare for mothers and newborns, education, and protection from harm – UNICEF is there at every stage of a child’s life.
Even in times of conflict and disaster, UNICEF has stayed in Sudan to deliver lifesaving support and help communities recover and rebuild. Working alongside local partners, UNICEF is committed to giving every child – no matter where they live or what they believe – the chance to grow up healthy, educated and safe from harm.
Stories from Sudan
Every child has the right to be healthy, educated, and live safe from harm.
