WHAT IS HAPPENING
IN SUDAN?

Sudan is facing a catastrophic humanitarian crisis following nearly three years of ongoing conflict that erupted in April 2023.

Children are bearing the heaviest burden of this crisis. They are being killed and injured as violence continues, and grave violations of children’s rights are being reported across the country.

Sudan is the world's largest child displacement crisis. Over 13 million people – almost one third of the population - have been forced to flee their homes.

Sudan was already facing its worst ever humanitarian crisis even before the eruption of conflict in 2023. Existing localised conflict, natural disasters, disease outbreaks, hunger and economic degradation already threatened millions of children’s lives and futures. 30.4 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, including 15.6 million children.

Since the conflict began in April 2023:

• 3 children are born into war every minute
• 6.5 million children are now displaced — nearly half under the age of five
• Almost 11 million children are in need of education support
• Over 3,150 grave child rights violations have been reported in the last year — including rape, abduction, and forced recruitment.

Each day the fighting continues, the misery deepens for children in Sudan especially the most vulnerable.

Despite the staggering levels of need, this crisis is not getting the attention it deserves. 

Save the Children is calling for an immediate end to the violence and a sustained ceasefire to protect civilians and stop grave violations of children’s rights.
 

Children in Sudan need protection, education, and lifesaving support — and they need it now.

Today more than 15.6 million children in Sudan need support to overcome the horrifying impacts of this conflict. 

They’ve seen their homes, hospitals, playgrounds and schools bombed, looted and occupied. They’ve lost loved ones and been subject to unspeakable violence. They’ve been cut off from the very basics like food, shelter, and healthcare.

They are surviving bombs and bullets to risk dying from starvation and disease.

The horrors of conflicts like this can have a severe and long-lasting impact on children’s mental health unless they receive the urgent support they need.

More than 13 million of the country’s 17 million school-age children currently out of school. Schools across conflict-affected areas are either closed, damaged, or being used as shelters for displaced families, leaving children with no safe or secure place to learn.

Save the Children and its partners remain dedicated to providing life-saving assistance to families who continue to be impacted by this crisis.

Despite extreme insecurity, access constraints and the displacement of communities, Save the Children, together with national and international partners, is delivering a large-scale, multi-sector humanitarian response across Sudan and in neighbouring countries hosting refugees.

In 2025, we reached over 4.4 million people, including more than 3 million children, with life-saving and life-sustaining assistance across Sudan. This support spans health, nutrition, water and sanitation, child protection, education, food security and livelihoods.

• We are running mobile health clinics in areas hosting displaced families and supporting health facilities that remain operational. 

• We are supporting families to access safe water and basic sanitation in displacement sites and conflict-affected communities. 

• We are screening children for malnutrition, providing therapeutic nutrition treatment for those who are severely malnourished, and supporting mothers with infant and young child feeding.

• We are offering psychosocial support to help children cope with trauma and regain a sense of safety and stability.

• We’re providing cash grants to families to help them buy food, medicines and other essentials to address the worsening food insecurity situation.

• We’re supporting schools and learning spaces, providing learning materials, and setting up temporary education activities in areas hosting displaced families.

• We also offer games and activities for children in safe spaces, such as dancing, drawing and sports to overcome their negative experiences. These safe spaces and play activities also relieve pressure off parents and help them to manage their stress.

 We will continue to adapt our response as needs evolve, while advocating for improved access and protection for civilians.

Save the Children has worked in Sudan since 1983 and provides programming for children and families affected by conflict, displacement, extreme poverty and hunger.

Children and their families are in desperate need. 

Donate to help us respond quickly to support children living in crisis in countries like Sudan and around the world. 

Children are bearing the greatest brunt of this conflict. It is crucial for all parties involved to prioritise the protection of children and to take all necessary measures to safeguard their lives, rights and futures. This includes guaranteeing safe and uninterrupted humanitarian access. 

But to truly protect children’s lives and futures, it is critical that we see an end to this fighting.