At least 330 children killed or injured in Sudan war this year, UNICEF says

July 6, 2026 (KHARTOUM) – At least 330 children were killed or injured in Sudan during the first six months of 2026 as drone strikes and shelling increasingly devastated civilian areas, the U.N. children’s agency UNICEF said on Monday.

The war has hit children hardest in the regions of Darfur and Kordofan, UNICEF said in a report, highlighting a sharp escalation of violence in North Kordofan’s capital of Ed Damazin and surrounding areas.

Since May, drone strikes and other attacks in North Kordofan have caused more than 35 child casualties, including 18 deaths. The victims ranged in age from two months to 17 years old.

UNICEF noted that drone attacks alone accounted for 60 per cent of those casualties, underscoring a shift toward tech-driven warfare that frequently strikes residential neighbourhoods.

“For many children, there is no safe place left,” Sheldon Yett, UNICEF Representative for Sudan, said in a statement. “They are being killed and injured in their homes, on the roads, in markets, and while attempting to access essential services.”

The fighting has severely damaged homes, schools, hospitals, and water networks across North Kordofan, putting an estimated 500,000 civilians at risk.

Beyond immediate physical danger, UNICEF warned that children face severe psychological trauma, alongside rising threats of forced recruitment by armed groups, abduction, and sexual violence.

The agency urged all warring parties to immediately halt attacks on civilians, protect infrastructure, and allow unimpeded access for humanitarian aid deliveries.