CAIRO, Egypt – The war in Sudan has killed or injured more than 300 children over the past six months, with drone strikes responsible for most of the casualties, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
Sudan has been engulfed in conflict since April 2023, when fighting erupted between the Sudanese military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). UNICEF said the conflict is now concentrated in the Kordofan, Darfur and Blue Nile regions, where drone warfare accounts for about 60% of reported casualties involving children.
The latest warning comes as the United Nations, the United States, the United Kingdom and other governments have expressed growing concern over reports of possible atrocities as the Sudanese military and the RSF battle for control of the strategic city of El-Obeid in North Kordofan.
On Monday, the U.N.-backed Human Rights Council in Geneva approved a resolution introduced by five European countries condemning the escalating violence by the RSF and its allied forces in and around El-Obeid.
The measure, adopted without a vote, also called for increased support for countries hosting Sudanese refugees and condemned “all forms of external interference” in the conflict.
Humanitarian Crisis Deepens
The war has killed at least 59,000 people, displaced approximately 13 million and pushed large areas of Sudan into famine, according to humanitarian agencies.
More than 30 million people now require humanitarian assistance.
UNICEF said drone strikes and shelling have repeatedly targeted civilian infrastructure, including schools, markets, fuel depots and water facilities, placing more than 500,000 people at risk. In several communities, civilians have endured conditions resembling prolonged sieges for more than a year.
“Children are being caught in a relentless cycle of violence, displacement and deprivation,” said Sheldon Yett, UNICEF’s representative for Sudan.
The United Nations urged all parties to the conflict to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, allow safe and unhindered humanitarian access, and take all possible measures to protect children from harm.
Gold Mine Collapse Kills Informal Miners
In a separate incident on Monday, at least 15 informal miners were killed after part of an abandoned gold mine collapsed near Wadi Halfa, close to Sudan’s border with Egypt, authorities said.
One additional miner was injured in the collapse at the Mohamed Taqfiq mine, according to the state-run Sudanese Mineral Resources Company.
The company said miners had resumed operations at the site despite authorities previously closing it because of safety concerns.
Sudan remains one of Africa’s leading gold producers, with official figures showing production reached 70 tons last year, up from 64 tons in 2024.
Most of the country’s gold is extracted through artisanal and small-scale mining, where safety regulations are often poorly enforced.
Fatal mine accidents occur frequently. In May, at least seven miners died in a collapse in Red Sea State, while another 13 were killed in South Kordofan in January.
This report is based on reporting by The Associated Press.
Article Topics: Sudan | UNICEF | Children | Humanitarian Crisis | Rapid Support Forces | Civil War | Gold Mining | World News
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