Sudan Shelter Drone Strike Reportedly Kills a Boy and Injures 12 Children

The strike, reported late last night, killed one boy and injured 12 children, including five boys and seven girls, according to UNICEF, bringing further suffering to families already living through displacement and uncertainty.

Families who had fled their homes in search of safety were caught in another reported attack when a drone struck the Al Mina Al Bari shelter for internally displaced people in Al Obeid, in Sudan's North Kordofan State. The strike, reported late last night, killed one boy and injured 12 children, including five boys and seven girls, according to UNICEF, bringing further suffering to families already living through displacement and uncertainty.

A place of refuge becomes a scene of danger

For the children staying at Al Mina Al Bari, the shelter was somewhere to seek protection after conflict had driven them from their homes, in some cases more than once. UNICEF Representative in Sudan Angela Kearney described how the reported strike shattered that sense of safety, leaving families exposed to violence in a place they had reached because their options were already so limited.

"Attacks on the places children go for protection must stop. These children have nowhere else to go," Kearney said. Her appeal reflects the vulnerability of families who depend on displacement sites and shelters after losing access to their homes, with repeated moves making it harder to find reliable protection, essential services and the support children need.

Drone attacks deepen the dangers facing children

More than 400 children were reportedly killed or injured in Sudan between January and September 2026, with drone attacks responsible for a significant share of those casualties. The reported strike in Al Obeid adds to the growing impact of these attacks on children, whose exposure to the conflict extends from the places they live to the services their families rely on.

Drone attacks have damaged homes, schools, health facilities, water systems and markets, disrupting daily life across affected communities. Damage to this infrastructure compounds the risks for families already struggling through conflict and displacement, reducing access to education, health care, water and other essentials at a time when children's needs remain urgent.

Repeated displacement leaves families with few choices

Many families living in displacement sites across Sudan have fled several times as fighting and insecurity spread into new areas, often reaching shelters after exhausting other options for safety. Arriving at a displacement site does not end those difficulties, with families continuing to face obstacles in accessing basic services, protection and assistance, and the reported attack in Al Obeid exposing how fragile their refuge can be.

UNICEF is calling on all parties to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure and uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law. The agency's message is that children and other civilians must be protected at all times, including in the shelters where displaced families turn for safety after being forced to leave their homes.