Sudan civil war completes third year with 4,300 children killed or maimed

Conflict between military factions has displaced 13 million people since April 2023, with drone strikes hitting civilian areas.

Sudan's civil war entered its fourth year in April with more than 4,300 children killed or maimed since fighting began, according to the UN children's agency UNICEF¹². The Darfur and Kordofan states accounted for the highest numbers of child casualties¹².

The conflict erupted in April 2023 between the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary and the Sudanese Armed Forces following the collapse of a transition to civilian rule after the country's 2019 uprising¹². Fighting has since spread across much of Sudan, displacing more than 13 million people, the World Health Organization reported¹².

Indiscriminate drone attacks by both sides have caused many of the deaths and injuries, UNICEF spokeswoman Eva Hinds told reporters¹². "Drones are killing and wounding girls and boys in their homes, in markets, on the roads, near schools and health facilities — all places that should never be targets," Hinds said¹².

Ashan Abeywardena, emergency response manager at War Child, an organization working with children affected by conflict, said the three years of fighting had severely impacted minors¹². "Children's daily lives are shaped by news of death and destruction," Abeywardena told DW¹².

"The reality for children in Sudan is growing darker hour by hour," Hinds said last week¹².