Sudan

On March 13, 2025, Catherine Russell, UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Executive Director, told the UN Security Council that Sudan is now the world’s largest and most devastating humanitarian crisis. After two years of war, over 30 million people – more than half of them children – are living in the grip of mass atrocities, famine and deadly disease. She added: “This is not just a crisis, it is a poly-crisis affecting every sector, from health and nutrition to water, education and protection.”

Since war erupted between the Sudanese army (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and their associated militias in April 2023, report after report has documented the impact of hostilities on civilians in the country. Tens of thousands of civilians have been killed. More than 12 million were forced to flee their homes, including around 3.5 million who became refugees in neighboring countries. Critical infrastructure, including hospitals, was destroyed or abandoned. Famine was declared in several areas of Sudan. In addition, report after report has been documenting war crimes, crimes against humanity and even genocide in this war. Among these crimes, sexual violence has been used as a method of war to harm and humiliate. The use of sexual violence against children is not uncommon.

As UNICEF told the UN Security Council, “Children are bearing the brunt of the violence. UNICEF has received alarming reports of grave violations against children, including killings, sexual violence and forced recruitment into armed groups.” Reportedly, between June and December 2024 alone, more than 900 cases of gross child rights violations were recorded, with 80% involving killings or maiming, primarily in Darfur, Khartoum, and Al Jazirah States. Over the course of just two days in February, 21 children were reported killed and 29 children maimed by shelling in Kadugli, South Kordofan State. Another 11 children were reported killed when a livestock market was shelled in El Fasher, North Darfur State, and 8 more children were reported killed and 6 maimed when a market was shelled in Khartoum.

Ms. Russell warned that an estimated 12.1 million women and girls – and increasingly men and boys – are currently at risk of sexual violence, an 80% increase from last year. She added that “According to data analyzed by UNICEF and collected by service providers in Sudan, 221 cases of rape against children were reported in 2024 in nine states. We estimate that 67 per cent of these children are girls and 33 per cent are boys. In 16 of the recorded cases, the children were under the age of five. Four were babies under the age of one.” Ms. Russell recounted a testimony of a girl who “when alone in Khartoum after the death of her parents, she was raped by four armed, masked men. Even after enduring so much other horror, she described this as “the greatest hardship” she had faced.”

UNICEF further told the UN Security Council that an estimated 1.3 million children under five live in areas where famine has been declared. Over 3 million children under five are at imminent risk of deadly disease outbreaks, including cholera, malaria, and dengue, due to a failing health system. More than 16 million school-aged children are out of school.

The horrific atrocities experienced by children in Sudan will leave life-long scars – if the children are lucky enough to survive the hostilities, famine, diseases, and other risks. Their needs grow by the minute, but the assistance and interest continue to decrease. At the end of 2024, the BBC reported that “Nowhere else on Earth are so many children on the run, so many people living with such acute hunger.” The article shone light on the issue of orphaned children as a result of the hostilities and other consequences of the war – a topic that continues to be ignored by the world.

Another topic that continues to be ignored is the risk of sexual slavery and trafficking as the war rages on. In early 2024, the UN warned about reports of girls being trafficked and sold at slave markets in areas controlled by RSF forces and other armed groups, including in North Darfur. The UN further warned that “Some of the cases of child and forced marriage are occurring due to family separation and gender-based violence, including rape and unwanted pregnancies.”

With the ongoing hostilities, famine, and disease, among others, Sudan is hell on earth for children. The responses so far have been inadequate and unable to meet the needs, which grow by the minute as the war rages on.