UNICEF Warns Sudan War Is Destroying Children’s Access to Education

Millions of children in Sudan are being denied an education as schools are attacked, damaged or used for military purposes, prompting UNICEF to call for stronger international action to protect classrooms and restore learning during a conflict now entering its fourth year.

Speaking at a UN Security Council Arria-formula meeting, UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Hannan Sulieman said at least eight million school-aged children remain out of school, including around 4.1 million girls, while displaced children inside and outside Sudan face some of the greatest barriers to continuing their education.

Since the Security Council adopted Resolution 2736 in 2024, the United Nations has verified more than 67 attacks on schools across Sudan and received reports of over 154 cases involving the military use of educational facilities. UNICEF believes the documented incidents represent only part of the damage caused by the conflict.

Schools Across Darfur Face Widespread Destruction

Darfur has experienced some of the heaviest damage, with 73 per cent of schools reportedly damaged, destroyed or left unable to function since fighting began in April 2023.

Explosive weapons used in populated areas have contributed heavily to the destruction, while armed drones have become an increasingly serious threat to children. Nearly 80 per cent of reported child casualties during the first four months of 2026 were attributed to attacks involving armed drones, according to Sulieman.

Shelling, airstrikes, looting and arson have also affected schools, while threats against teachers and other education workers have added further pressure. Nearly half of Sudan's school buildings can no longer operate as classrooms, and many teachers have lost their salaries or been displaced, particularly in Darfur and Kordofan.

Damage to infrastructure outside school grounds is creating another problem. Sulieman cited a strike on energy infrastructure in White Nile State that cut electricity to a major water treatment facility, leaving schools without water and power and forcing closures that affected tens of thousands of students.

Missing School Creates Wider Risks for Children

Losing access to classrooms can expose children to dangers far beyond interrupted lessons, since schools can provide meals, healthcare, mental health assistance and important safety information alongside education.

Children who remain outside school face increased risks of child labour, exploitation, trafficking, child marriage and recruitment by armed forces or armed groups. In Sudan, classrooms can also provide potentially lifesaving education about explosive remnants of war.

The scale of disruption has kept Sudan among the countries with the largest numbers of children outside education, making the restoration of safe learning spaces an important part of both humanitarian assistance and longer-term recovery.

New Programmes Seek to Bring Children Back

UNICEF and Save the Children launched the BRIDGES programme in May 2026 with support from the Global Partnership for Education, seeking to return more than 328,000 conflict-affected children to learning and reopen around 850 schools across seven states.

Another programme in Blue Nile has helped more than 170,000 children across 418 schools access education, including displaced and refugee children learning alongside host communities.

Young people in White Nile are also receiving technical and vocational training through the PROSPECTS Partnership involving ILO, UNHCR and UNICEF. Training in areas such as electrical work, tailoring, mechanics and technical trades is giving young people opportunities to earn income while building skills needed for their future.

UNICEF Calls for Ceasefire and Protection of Schools

Sulieman urged UN Member States to push for an immediate ceasefire and demand that parties to the conflict comply with international humanitarian law, prevent grave violations against children and keep schools free from military use.

UNICEF is also seeking sustained and flexible international financing so children can return to safe and inclusive education as quickly as conditions allow.

Sulieman stressed the importance of keeping education outside political divisions and maintaining nationally recognised examinations for children regardless of where they live or have been displaced.

Without a political settlement and lasting peace, she warned, humanitarian and educational needs will continue growing faster than the international response, leaving millions of Sudanese children facing deeper disruption to their safety, development and future.