Emergency response in Sudan
Conflict in Sudan is pushing already vulnerable children deeper into hardship.
Even before the current conflict, humanitarian needs across Sudan had reached record levels. Now, millions of children have been forced to flee their homes, making Sudan the largest child displacement crisis in the world.
What’s happening? | Impact on children | Recent news and features
How we’re responding | Results for children | Situation updates
What’s happening in Sudan?
Heavy fighting broke out in the capital, Khartoum, in April 2023, and quickly extended throughout the country. More than two year later, the conflict continues to threaten the health and well-being of Sudan’s 24 million children, pushing already vulnerable families deeper into hardship.
Every day, violence is tearing communities apart. Entire communities have been displaced, with families fleeing for their lives facing human rights violations and grave protection risks. Famine was confirmed in parts of Sudan in 2024, and the hunger situation remains catastrophic, with children among the hardest hit. Malnutrition rates have soared, and thousands are at imminent risk of death without immediate food and nutrition assistance.
Civilian infrastructure across Sudan has been decimated, leaving children and communities without essential services like clean water and basic health care. Meanwhile, the loss of family income and the socioeconomic fallout from the war are proving devastating to the well-being of children, depriving them of vital resources and opportunities for their futures.
Recent Sudan news and features
How is the crisis affecting children in Sudan?
Children are malnourished, exposed to violence, and at risk of dying from preventable diseases. Food insecurity is soaring, while the number of children being treated for severe acute malnutrition (SAM) has surged. Meanwhile, the number of grave child rights violations has also soared, underscoring the escalating risks faced by children, particularly girls, who remain vulnerable to multiple forms of abuse and exploitation by parties to the conflict in Sudan.
With vaccination coverage dropping due to the fighting and subsequent access issues, ongoing disease outbreaks such as cholera, measles, malaria and dengue, and millions of children lacking access to safe drinking water, hundreds of thousands are at significant risk of dying.
The impact of the conflict on education, meanwhile, has been devastating. Schools have been closed in most states since the start of the war. Millions of children are not in school, with buildings that were once centres of learning now shelters for internally displaced children. The ongoing disruption to education will result in a generational crisis for Sudan.
In areas where Sudanese children have fled to, including neighbouring countries, children are encountering numerous obstacles in accessing essential services, including education and healthcare. These displaced and refugee children are in desperate need of safety, stability, and psychosocial support as they navigate the challenges of starting over in unfamiliar surroundings. The large numbers of displaced families are also placing a significant burden on host communities that have shown considerable generosity, but who were in many cases already grappling with crises of their own.
How is UNICEF supporting children in Sudan?
UNICEF continues to call for an immediate ceasefire across Sudan, and reiterates its call for all parties to the conflict to respect international humanitarian and human rights law – including ensuring that children are protected. UNICEF also calls for safe, sustained and unimpeded access into and throughout Sudan. Without such access, critical lifesaving humanitarian support will be out of reach for millions of vulnerable children.
Since the beginning of the war, UNICEF has been on the ground providing immediate and life-saving humanitarian aid to the children of Sudan. Despite the difficult humanitarian and security situation and considerable access restraints, UNICEF and its partners have been working tirelessly to deliver assistance to children and their families affected by the war. Since conflict erupted in 2023, UNICEF has reached millions of children and their families with safe drinking water, health supplies and nutrition screenings, while also providing psychosocial support, safe spaces for learning and routine immunizations.
Results for children
In 2024, UNICEF and partners:
Page updated: 24 October 2025
