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. 

Topics: Sudan | UNICEF | Children | Humanitarian Crisis | Rapid Support Forces | Civil War | Gold Mining | World News

The post More Than 300 Children Killed or Injured in Sudan War Over Six Months, UNICEF Says appeared first on Journos News - Breaking News, World News, Top Stories, Todays Headlines and Flash Reports.

Senior police official Faisal Kamran said emergency crews continued searching through the debris after receiving reports that additional children could still be trapped beneath the rubble. The injured were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.

Authorities said the owner of the private tutoring center and another individual were arrested as investigators began examining the cause of the collapse.

Preliminary Investigation Points to Structural Failures

According to Kamran, the tutoring center was operating inside an aging residential building where an unfinished second floor was under construction. Officials believe the roof gave way because of poor construction quality.

Investigators are continuing to assess the structural integrity of the building while determining whether construction regulations had been violated.

Building collapses remain a recurring problem in Pakistan, where construction standards are frequently criticized for weak enforcement. Many structures are built using substandard materials, while safety regulations are often overlooked to reduce construction costs.

Rescue Teams and Residents Race to Save Trapped Children

Witnesses said ambulances, rescue personnel and local residents rushed to the scene immediately after the collapse.

Residents joined emergency workers in clearing debris with shovels and their bare hands as rescuers searched for survivors beneath the wreckage.

Authorities said rescue operations continued for several hours amid concerns that more victims could remain trapped.

Grief and Anger Spread Across Lahore Community

As victims’ bodies were returned to their families, scenes of mourning unfolded outside hospitals and throughout the neighborhood where the tutoring center operated.

Parents wept over the loss of their children while relatives gathered to comfort grieving families ahead of funeral prayers expected later Tuesday.

Many of the victims lived near the tutoring center, intensifying the impact on the surrounding community.

Residents also expressed anger over what they described as unsafe conditions at the privately operated learning center.

“We don’t know whose home to visit first to offer condolences for the loss of their children,” local resident Zafar Iqbal said while moving between the homes of grieving families.

Community members called for strict legal action against the tutoring center’s owner, arguing that classes should not have been held inside what they described as an old and unsafe building.

National Leaders Offer Condolences

Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif issued separate statements expressing sorrow over the tragedy.

Both leaders extended condolences to the victims’ families, wished those injured a speedy recovery and emphasized the need for stronger building safety measures to help prevent similar incidents.

Lahore, the capital of Punjab province, is home to numerous private tutoring centers that many families rely on to provide additional education for children after regular school hours.

The investigation into the collapse remains ongoing as authorities continue rescue efforts and examine whether negligence or construction violations contributed to one of the city’s deadliest building accidents involving schoolchildren in recent years.

Tags: Pakistan, Lahore, Punjab, Building Collapse, Schoolchildren, Tutoring Center, Construction Safety, Rescue Operation, Shehbaz Sharif, Asif Ali Zardari, Public Safety, Infrastructure

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