Published on: 2026-04-28
Source: United Nations – United Nations –
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Two decades after the world was shaken by the consequences of the conflict in Darfur, children in this region have once again found themselves trapped in a destructive cycle of violence, hunger, and forced displacement. However, this time, the UN is warning, and the world is barely responding to what is happening.
The new report from the UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) notes that the horrors of the mid-2000s are repeating themselves; at the same time, the scale of today’s crisis is significantly greater, and the attention of the international community is limited in nature.
Escalation of violence
The authors of the report draw alarming parallels between the past and the present. Houses, schools, and hospitals are once again becoming targets of attacks, but military actions today have become even more destructive.
Since April 2024, only in the regional capital, the city of El-Fashir, more than 1,500 serious violations of children’s rights have been confirmed. More than 1,300 children were killed or injured – many as a result of the use of explosive weapons and drones. The city was under government forces’ control for a long time, but after a prolonged siege in October last yearcame under controlAmong the fighters of the Rapid Reaction Forces.
Children encounter trafficking, forced recruitment into armed groups, and sexual violence.
“Twenty years ago, the world united in outrage over the suffering of children in Darfur. Today, a new generation is experiencing horrific violence, hunger, and fear,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell.
Throughout Sudansince the beginning of the current phase of the conflictMore than 5,700 serious violations of children’s rights have been recorded. Moreover, the situation is worsening: in the first three months of 2026, the number of children who died has significantly increased compared to the previous year.
Obstacles to humanitarian aid
Humanitarian efforts face serious obstacles – a dangerous situation, bureaucratic restrictions, and an acute shortage of funding.
In many areas of Northern Darfur, families remain completely cut off from food supplies and drinking water due to prolonged rainfall.
Although UNICEF and its partners continue to provide mobile medical services and treatment for malnutrition, aid is not reaching those in need, the report says.
“We cannot allow history to repeat itself,” Rassel emphasized. “The children of Darfur need protection and sustainable humanitarian access. The parties to the conflict must put an end to this brutal war.”
UNICEF calls for an immediate end to the violation of children’s rights and appeals to international donors with a request to provide flexible funding to support forcibly displaced persons both inside Sudan and beyond its borders, including in overcrowded host communities in eastern Chad.
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