At least 330 children have been killed or wounded in Sudan during the first six months of 2026, as paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) continue to launch deadly attacks on civilians, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said.
“Children across Sudan continue to bear the brunt of a war that is becoming increasingly deadly,” UNICEF said in a statement on Monday.
The agency said Darfur and Kordofan states continued to record the highest levels of child casualties.
“The situation in and around El-Obeid (the capital of North Kordofan), and more broadly across North Kordofan, is particularly alarming,” it warned.
Since May, strikes and other attacks have killed at least 18 children and injured 17 others in the state.
“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,” he added.
“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. Children must never be a target. Their lives, rights, and futures must be protected,” Yett said.
UNICEF warned that the threat of attacks has deepened fear, anxiety, and trauma among children, especially in communities facing repeated bombardment and displacement.
“The conflict continues to expose them to grave violations, including recruitment and use, abduction, sexual violence, and attacks on schools and hospitals.”
UN officials have warned of a humanitarian catastrophe and human rights abuses in El-Obeid as the RSF continues its attacks on the city.
On Sunday, the International Organization for Migration warned that El-Obeid could face the same fate as Al Fasher, the capital city of North Darfur, where mass abuses were reported following the RSF takeover of the city in 2025.
Sudan entered its fourth year of war in April.
The war pits the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), led by General Abdel Fattah al Burhan, against the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), commanded by Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, known as Hemedti.
The SAF is the country’s regular military and has long been the dominant arm of the state.
The RSF, by contrast, grew out of militant groups known as the Janjaweed, infamous for their role in atrocities during the Darfur war of the 2000s.
Witnesses and aid groups have reported mass killings, starvation, and systematic attacks on civilians by RSF.
