Drone Strikes Destroy Over 292,000 Textbooks Ahead of Sudan’s New School Year

Schools in West Bara, Bara and Um Dam were among those due to receive the materials from October, placing the destruction close to the planned start of distribution.

Thousands of children in Sudan face another obstacle to their education after drone strikes destroyed two warehouses holding school supplies in Shikan locality, North Kordofan, on 20 September. The warehouses contained more than 292,000 school textbooks, 40,000 Arabic Language and Mathematics Review Books, and other learning materials prepared for distribution to children. These supplies were meant to support the school year beginning in October 2026, giving pupils access to books in communities where conflict has already taken years of classroom learning away from many children.

Books lost just before the new school year

Schools in West Bara, Bara and Um Dam were among those due to receive the materials from October, placing the destruction close to the planned start of distribution. The loss reaches beyond the warehouses themselves: children expecting books for their lessons and teachers working with limited resources now face the absence of materials intended to support their classrooms. Textbooks and review books help pupils follow lessons, practise what they have learned and revisit subjects they find difficult, making their destruction a serious setback for schools already struggling with shortages of teachers, desks and learning supplies.

Children returning to class face another setback

For children whose education has been interrupted by conflict, returning to school carries the hope of rebuilding routines and making up for missed learning. UNICEF Representative in Sudan Angela Kearney described the destruction as a blow to efforts to bring them back into classrooms, saying: "The destruction of these learning materials is a setback for children at a time when every effort is being made to get them back into the classroom." She said many children had missed years of schooling because of the conflict and warned that losing the books would further undermine access to quality education in schools already short of essential resources. Her message centred on the children who depend on those schools: "Every child has the right to education, and that right must be protected."

Protecting education means protecting its supplies

Getting education supplies into conflict-affected areas of Sudan is often difficult, adding to the significance of losing materials that had already reached storage ahead of distribution. The destruction leaves a gap in planned support for thousands of children, whose access to safe learning opportunities is essential to their education, recovery and prospects. UNICEF has called on all parties to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure and uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law, stressing that education supplies and facilities must be safeguarded so children can exercise their right to education. For the communities expecting these deliveries, protecting schooling includes preserving the books, desks and classrooms that make daily learning possible.