Twenty years after global outcry, children in Darfur face a deeper crisis and far less attention

PORT SUDAN/NEW YORK/GENEVA, 28 April 2026 – Twenty years after Darfur captured global attention as violence devastated communities and displaced millions in Sudan, children in the region are again trapped in a catastrophic crisis – but with less international focus and aid, UNICEF warned in a new Child Alert released today.

The report, “Darfur: 20 Years On, Children Under Threat,” highlights how Sudan’s ongoing conflict has reignited large-scale violence, mass displacement, acute hunger and grave violations against children across Darfur.  As in 2005, homes have been burned, markets attacked, schools and health facilities damaged or destroyed, and families forced to flee – but today the scale of needs is greater, and the global outrage is far more constrained.

Across Darfur, children are bearing the heaviest burden of conflict. Many have lost access to education and healthcare, while growing numbers face severe malnutrition, disease, and violence perpetrated by armed forces or groups. Millions of children have been uprooted, with significant displacement also across borders, particularly into eastern Chad, where already overstretched services are struggling to cope with new arrivals.

The Child Alert draws stark parallels between the situation today and UNICEF’s first Darfur Child Alert published in 2005, when global outrage spurred humanitarian mobilization.  Twenty years on, children’s needs have grown in scale and complexity, yet funding shortfalls, access restrictions, the changing nature of warfare, and limited international attention are sharply limiting the reach of lifesaving support.

“Twenty years ago, the world united in outrage at the suffering of children in Darfur. Today, a new generation of children is living through horrific violence, hunger and terror,” said Catherine Russell, UNICEF Executive Director. “We cannot allow history to repeat itself.  Children in Darfur need protection and sustained humanitarian access.  The parties to this conflict must end this brutal war.”

In Al Fasher and other locations in North Darfur, prolonged conflict and sieges have left families cut off from food, safe water, and healthcare, forcing many to flee toward already overcrowded areas.  Across Darfur, conflict has damaged or destroyed essential infrastructure, accelerating areas with famine, hunger, and disease as livelihoods collapse.

Children are also facing an alarming escalation in extreme violence. Nowhere has the impact been more acute than in Al Fasher. Since April 2024, more than 1,500 grave violations against children* attributed to parties to the conflict have been verified in Al Fasher, including the killing and maiming of over 1,300 children, many by explosive weapons and drones, as well as sexual violence, abductions and recruitment and use by armed groups. Yet, these harrowing figures almost certainly underrepresent the true scale of abuse, with similar patterns in other parts of the country.

Since the war began, the United Nations has verified more than 5,700 grave violations by parties to the conflict against children across Sudan, impacting at least 5,100 children, with over 4,300 killed or maimed. The trend is worsening. In the first three months of 2026 alone, at least 160 children were reportedly killed and 85 injured, marking a significant increase compared to the same period last year.

Despite extraordinary challenges, UNICEF and partners continue delivering lifesaving assistance across Darfur and neighbouring countries and providing education, clean water and sanitation, treating children for severe acute malnutrition, supporting mobile health services, offering psychosocial support and establishing safe spaces for children.

However, the Child Alert warns that humanitarian efforts remain severely constrained by insecurity, bureaucratic impediments, and funding shortfalls, leaving many children cut off from assistance at moments of greatest risk.

UNICEF is calling on parties to the conflict to uphold international law and protect civilians, including children; ensure safe and unimpeded humanitarian access; and end and prevent grave violations against children. The organization also urges donors to provide flexible, multi-year funding to sustain lifesaving programmes and support children affected by displacement across borders.

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Notes for editors
*Grave violations against children include: Killing and maiming; abduction; recruitment and use; rape and other forms of sexual violence; attacks on schools and hospitals; and the denial of humanitarian access.

Link to the report: https://www.unicef.org/child–alert/children-under-threat-darfur

Multimedia products available here: https://weshare.unicef.org/Package/2AM4087P5T6R

For more information, please contact UNICEF UK Media team at [email protected] or 0208 375 6030.

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