Disease and displacement decimate Sudan’s children, UN warns
June 18, 2025 (UNITED NATIONS) – Children account for half of the 30 million people needing aid and half of the 12 million displaced by conflict in Sudan, the United Nations said on Wednesday, warning that a severe funding shortfall is leaving them unprotected.
The UN’s child protection efforts are only 3% funded, creating an $88 million gap in the funds needed to provide critical support, a spokesperson for the Secretary-General said. As a result of the funding shortfalls, less than 18% of children in need of protection services have received support so far this year.
Children separated from their families face heightened risks of abuse, exploitation, and trauma, the UN warned.
Disease is also taking a heavy toll on children in the war-torn country. Since a cholera outbreak began last July, Sudan’s Federal Ministry of Health has reported more than 80,000 suspected cases and over 2,000 deaths. Nearly 7,300 of those cases and more than 230 deaths were among children under the age of five.
While there has been a recent decline in new cholera reports from Khartoum State, the UN noted that underreporting may be masking the true scale of the outbreak. A 10-day oral cholera vaccination campaign supported by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF was launched in the state on June 10, aiming to reach 2.6 million people.
Sudan is also grappling with a measles outbreak, with more than 2,200 suspected cases and five deaths reported since the start of the year. Over 60% of those affected are children under five years old. Aid partners have said their response to the outbreaks is hampered by data gaps and severe shortages of vaccines, supplies, and trained personnel.
The UN repeated its call for unhindered humanitarian access to reach civilians in need and for an immediate cessation of hostilities.