Catastrophe for Children in Darfur: Conflict Traps 825,000 Kids Amid Crisis

“An estimated 825,000 children are trapped in a growing catastrophe in and around Al Fasher,” said Sheldon Yett, UNICEF Representative for Sudan.

 A devastating surge in violence across Sudan’s Darfur region has plunged hundreds of thousands of children into an increasingly desperate humanitarian crisis. Since the beginning of 2025, grave violations against children in Sudan have spiked sharply, with North Darfur emerging as one of the epicenters of this unfolding catastrophe.

In North Darfur alone, 110 grave violations against children have been verified so far this year, and the country has witnessed an alarming 83 per cent increase in child casualties compared to the first quarter of 2024. The situation in Al Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, is especially dire, with more than 70 children killed or maimed in less than three months.

Of particular concern is the situation in Zamzam camp, one of the largest camps for internally displaced people (IDPs) in the region. Repeated shelling and airstrikes have made it one of the deadliest places for children. In the first few months of 2025 alone, Zamzam has accounted for 16 per cent of all verified child casualties in Al Fasher.

“An estimated 825,000 children are trapped in a growing catastrophe in and around Al Fasher,” said Sheldon Yett, UNICEF Representative for Sudan. “These are only the verified cases. The real numbers are likely even worse. Children are in a constant struggle for survival, and every day brings new danger.”

Mass Displacement and Spiraling Insecurity

More than 60,000 people have been newly displaced in North Darfur over the last six weeks alone. This adds to the more than 600,000 people forced from their homes between April 2024 and January 2025. Among them are 300,000 children, many of whom are facing the trauma of multiple displacements and the total collapse of essential services.

An estimated 900,000 people remain trapped in Al Fasher and 750,000 in Zamzam camp, surrounded by ongoing fighting and cut off from aid. Half of those affected are children.

All key access routes have been blocked. The Tawila-Zamzam road, a critical lifeline for humanitarian assistance and commercial goods, is now impassable due to the complete breakdown of security. Armed groups and criminal gangs have taken over rural areas, making both aid delivery and the transport of food, medicine, and other essentials nearly impossible.

Food prices have doubled in just three months, further deepening the crisis for families already on the brink of starvation.

Worsening Child Malnutrition and Health Emergency

North Darfur is facing a severe nutrition emergency. Over 457,000 children are acutely malnourished, including 146,000 suffering from severe acute malnutrition (SAM)—the most life-threatening form. Six localities in the state are at risk of famine, all among the hardest-hit by violence and access constraints.

Although UNICEF delivered ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) and other lifesaving supplies to Al Fasher earlier this year, those stocks are now depleted. Repeated attempts to deliver more aid have failed due to armed threats and looting.

In Zamzam camp alone, 2,300 severely malnourished children are currently being treated, but existing RUTF stocks will run out within the next three weeks.

Critical health, nutrition, and water and sanitation (WASH) supplies remain stranded in El Koma and Tawila, unable to move forward. Recent shelling in Zamzam also forced health workers to flee UNICEF-supported clinics, endangering already fragile services for children.

UNICEF estimates that 500,000 children are at immediate risk if new supplies cannot be delivered urgently.

UNICEF and Partners Struggle to Maintain Operations

While many international organizations have suspended operations due to insecurity, UNICEF continues its work in partnership with local and international groups such as Relief International, Tabasheer, the Patient Helping Fund, and the State Ministry of Health. These efforts continue in Al Fasher, Zamzam, and Abu Shok IDP camp, albeit under extremely dangerous conditions.

“UNICEF is doing everything it can under impossible circumstances,” Yett emphasized. “But unless safe access is granted, we are heading toward an even greater tragedy.”

Call to Action: Humanitarian Access Urgently Needed

UNICEF is urgently calling on all parties to the conflict, including external backers, to allow unimpeded humanitarian access to Al Fasher, Zamzam, and other conflict-hit regions. The organization also demands respect for international humanitarian law and protection for children and aid workers.

“We cannot turn a blind eye to this hell on earth,” said Yett. “The world must act. We need an immediate ceasefire, protection for civilians, and a coordinated effort to deliver aid now. Children’s lives depend on it.”

The Cost of Inaction

The situation in Darfur is a harrowing reminder of the human cost of war—and of the vulnerability of children in conflict zones. Without immediate international intervention and guaranteed humanitarian corridors, millions of children will continue to face hunger, disease, trauma, and death.

As the violence spirals and aid remains blocked, time is running out for the children of Darfur.