© UNICEF/M. Jamal IDP camp in Tawil, where many residents of Sudanese El Fasher fled. Sudan: New generation of Darfur children face ‘horrific violence’ Peace and Security
Two decades after the aftermath of the conflict in Darfur shocked the world, children in the region are once again trapped in a devastating cycle of violence, hunger and forced displacement. However, this time, the UN warns, the world is barely reacting to what is happening.
A new report from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) finds that the horrors of the mid-2000s are being repeated, the scale of the crisis today is much larger and the international community’s attention is limited.
Escalating violence
The report’s authors draw alarming parallels between the past and the present. Homes, schools and hospitals are once again being targeted for attacks, but modern warfare has become even more destructive.
Since April 2024, more than 1,500 serious rights violations have been confirmed in the regional capital, El Fasher alone children. More than 1,300 children have been killed or maimed many by explosive weapons and drones. The city was long under the control of government forces, but after a long siege it came under the control of the Rapid Action Force in October last year.“Twenty years ago, the world united in outrage at the suffering of children in Darfur. Today, a new generation is experiencing horrific violence, hunger and fear,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell.
Overall, more than 5,700 serious rights violations have been recorded across Sudan since the start of the current round of conflict. children. However, the situation is getting worse: in the first three months of 2026, the number of child deaths has increased significantly compared to the previous year. funding gaps.
In many areas of North Darfur, families remain completely cut off from food and drinking water due to prolonged sieges.
Although UNICEF and its partners continue to provide mobile health services and treatment for malnutrition, aid is not reaching those in need, it says report.
“We cannot allow history to repeat itself,” Russell stressed. – The children of Darfur need protection and sustainable humanitarian access. Parties to the conflict must end this brutal war.”
UNICEF calls for an immediate end to violations of children’s rights and calls on international donors to provide flexible funding to support internally displaced people both within Sudan and beyond, including in overburdened host communities in eastern Chad.