New York, 21 July 2026 – The intensifying fighting in and around Al Obeid and across North Kordofan adds serious concern for the protection of conflict-affected children in Sudan, already dramatically impacted by three years of violent conflict across the country, said Under-Secretary-General Vanessa Frazier, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict.
In 2025, 1,681 children in Sudan were affected by grave violations, including 1,004 boys, 626 girls and 51 sex unknown, as verified by the UN in the most recent UN Secretary-General Annual Report on children and armed conflict. With at least 330 Sudanese children reported killed or injured during the first six months of 2026 according to UNICEF, particularly in Darfur and Kordofan states, the figures signal a worrisome, continued trend from the previous reporting period.
Heightened spikes in violence akin to those of El Fasher last year could result in grave harm to over 500,000 civilians, including children who are living in and around Al Obeid and in North Kordofan. Death, injury, displacement and other protection risks to children should be avoided at all costs by parties to conflict.
“The Government of Sudan and other parties to conflict must urgently end the hostilities, prevent and end grave violations against children and release those children that are held in their ranks,” Frazier said. “I am particularly disturbed by the deadly impact of drone strikes and other attacks that have reportedly resulted in both child casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure, including homes, schools, health facilities, water systems, and markets,” she added.
In his recent report, Secretary-General Guterres expressed deep alarm over the violations in 2025 that encompassed high numbers of children killed (847) and maimed (484), including through explosive ordnance, as well as attacks on schools and hospitals and sexual violence against children in North Darfur and Kordofan regions.
The Sudanese Armed Forces’ (SAF) engagement with the United Nations, including their appointment of a government focal point on children and armed conflict to develop an action plan, was a welcomed development in 2025. Additionally, the Rapid Support Forces’ (RSF) willingness expressed at engaging with the United Nations on an action plan to end and prevent grave violations was encouraging.
“I reiterate my previous calls upon the RSF and the SAF to immediately stop targeting civilians, including children, and to respect their obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law. The United Nations stands ready to support the development of action plans with RSF and SAF to commit to decisive and life-saving measures to protect children. I call upon donor countries based in Sudan to additionally support these efforts by creating a dedicated platform for advocacy such as the Group of Friends of Children and Armed Conflict in Sudan,” the Special Representative added.