WHAT IS HAPPENING
IN SUDAN?

The violent conflict that erupted in Sudan’s capital Khartoum, has persisted since 15th April 2023, plunging the nation into an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe. This conflict has devastated millions of lives, particularly children, leaving them trapped in a cycle of violence, hunger, disease, and displacement.

Sudan was already facing its worst ever humanitarian crisis even before the eruption of conflict in April 2023. Existing localised conflict, natural disasters, disease outbreaks, hunger and economic degradation already threatened millions of children’s lives and futures. But in the last year, the number of people in need of humanitarian support has increased by 58%.

• Sudan is now the largest child displacement crisis in the world, with 5.8 million children uprooted from their homes.

• Over 1,721 child rights violations have been reported in the last year, the majority involving the killing and maiming of children, child recruitment and sexual violence against children.

• There have been 27,120 reported fatalities in Sudan as a direct impact of the violence since April 2023. Although the true figure is likely to be much higher.

• More than 10 million children – or one in two children – have been within 5 km of the frontline of the conflict over the past year, exposing them to gunfire, shelling and other deadly violence. This staggering figure is the highest rate of child exposure in the world.

• About 11 million people have been forced to flee their homes, of which 2.1 million have fled to neighbouring countries.

Despite the staggering levels of need, this crisis is not getting the attention it deserves. Children’s lives and rights in Sudan and across the region are being robbed daily. Yet this crisis is flying largely under the radar. There is an unprecedented lack of funding and critical lack of humanitarian access

You can support our life-saving work in Sudan and other countries across the world.

Today 14 million children in Sudan need support to overcome the horrifying impacts of this conflict. 

They’ve seen their homes, hospitals, playgrounds and schools bombed, looted and occupied. They’ve lost loved ones and been subject to unspeakable violence. They’ve been cut off from the very basics like food, shelter, and healthcare.

They are surviving bombs and bullets to risk dying from starvation and disease.

The horrors of conflicts like this can have a severe and long-lasting impact on children’s mental health unless they receive the urgent support they need.

This conflict is also denying millions of children their education. Over 17 million school-aged children remain deprived of education, 10 million of whom were in schools prior to April 2023. Despite progress in school reopening, still 80% of the country’s schools remain closed, 3,200 of which are used as shelter by internally displaced people.

Save the Children and its partners remain dedicated to providing life-saving assistance to families who continue to be impacted by this crisis.

We’re bringing together the best of our experience in humanitarian emergencies and long-term programmes and working with partners to ensure that urgently needed support reaches children and families in Sudan and neighbouring countries.

Since January 2024, we have reached a total of 1,657,967 million people, in which 1,010,495 were children and 647,472 were adults, with integrated health, nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene, child protection, food and livelihoods and education programmes within our emergency response. 

• We’re running mobile health clinics in the camps for displaced people and providing nutrition supplements for malnourished children.

• We’re responding to a major outbreak of cholera and have established 3 treatment centres to provide critical support to children and their families.

• Between February and March 2024, we arranged six cargo flights of 200 metric tonnes of life saving medical supplies. A further 60 metric tonnes of nutrition supplies were brought in via the seaport.

• We’re providing cash grants to families to help them buy food, medicines and other essentials to address the worsening food insecurity situation.

• We’re currently supporting 400 schools across the country. So far, we have supported over 45,000 children through formal education and about 37,000 children through non-formal education.

• We also offer games and activities for children in safe spaces, such as dancing, drawing and sports to overcome their negative experiences. These safe spaces and play activities also relieve pressure off parents and help them to manage their stress.

Save the Children has worked in Sudan since 1983 and provides programming for children and families affected by conflict, displacement, extreme poverty and hunger.

Children and their families are in desperate need. 

Donate to help us respond quickly to support children living in crisis in countries like Sudan and around the world. 

Children are bearing the greatest brunt of this conflict. It is crucial for all parties involved to prioritise the protection of children and to take all necessary measures to safeguard their lives, rights and futures. This includes guaranteeing safe and uninterrupted humanitarian access. 

But to truly protect children’s lives and futures, it is critical that we see an end to this fighting.