At least 330 children reported killed or injured during the first six months of 2026. The situation in and around Al Obeid, and more broadly across North Kordofan, is particularly alarming. In addition, residents must fear those who should protect them. Activists and journalists are being closely watched by SAF. El-Obeid sources also described a general sense of lawlessness. Noting that SAF-backed militias loot and rob at gunpoint. Civilians are sometimes killed. Incompetent and lazy SAF officers are unable to control the militia under their control.
VIENNA JULY 7: Children across Sudan continue to bear the brunt of a war that is becoming increasingly deadly, with at least 330 children reported killed or injured during the first six months of 2026. Darfur and Kordofan states continued to record the highest levels of child casualties.
The situation in and around Al Obeid, and more broadly across North Kordofan, is particularly alarming. Since May 2026, drone strikes and other attacks have reportedly resulted in more than 35 child casualties in the state, including at least 18 children killed and more than 17 injured. The affected children ranged in age from just two months to 17 years. According to reports, drone attacks accounted for 60 per cent of these casualties, highlighting the growing impact of this method of warfare on children and families.
Repeated drone strikes and shelling have also damaged civilian infrastructure, including homes, schools, health facilities, water systems and markets; disrupted supply routes and placed essential services under increasing strain.
“Children are being caught in a relentless cycle of violence, displacement and deprivation,” said Sheldon Yett, UNICEF Representative for Sudan. “For many children, there is no safe place left. They are being killed and injured in their homes, on the roads, in markets, and while attempting to access essential services such as education and healthcare.
In addition, residents must fear those who should only protect them. Activists and journalists are being closely watched, dissuading them from revealing any information to peers and foreign journalists which undermines the SAF’s claim that the security situation is under control.
SAF is trying to keep information from getting out to maintain the facade that it has the security situation under control. Since Sudan’s civil war erupted in April 2023, the SAF and RSF have committed grave abuses such as summary executions, torture, and the obstruction of aid from enemy-controlled territory. El-Obeid sources also described a general sense of lawlessness. Noting that SAF-backed militias loot and rob at gunpoint. Civilians are sometimes killed after refusing to hand over their belongings. Incompetent and lazy SAF officers are unable to control the militia under their control.
The persistent threat of attacks has also deepened fear, anxiety and trauma among children, particularly in communities that have faced repeated bombardments and displacement. Children are not only facing the immediate risk of death and injury. The conflict continues to expose them to grave violations, including recruitment and use, abduction, sexual violence, and attacks on schools and hospitals.
