‘Future of an entire generation at risk’ in Sudan

The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) confirmed that Sudan is recording the largest displacement of children in the world, as over three million children have been forcibly displaced because of the war between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), now in its seventh month. 

The organisation’s statement on X (formerly Twitter) stressed that further escalation of the war would force more children to flee their homes and expose them to further violence, abuse, and exploitation. “The future of an entire generation is at risk,” it said on Sunday. UNICEF called for the fighting to stop “so that children can be safe and healthy, learn, and play.” 

Mandeep O’Brien, UNICEF Country Representative in Sudan, posted yesterday on X that “with intensified fighting in Nyala, it is more important than ever for health systems to be sustained for every child.” 

The RSF took “complete control” of the 16th Infantry Division base in the South Darfur capital on Thursday. A medical source told Radio Dabanga that 15 people were killed and 156 others were injured by the SAF-RSF battles for Nyala between September 29 and October 28. “Sudan is on the brink of becoming home to the worst education crisis in the world,” she said on October 9. 

UNICEF declared that 19 million children in Sudan are currently out of school due to the war, and the schedule to re-open education institutions remains unconfirmed.  

Many educators have also expressed their apprehensions regarding the re-opening of schools and universities, due to schools becoming shelters and the continued non-payment of teachers since the outbreak of the war. 

Prior to the conflict erupting in April, nearly seven million children were already out of school due to the country grappling with poverty and instability.