The ongoing war in Sudan has escalated into the world’s most severe humanitarian crisis, with over 30 million people requiring aid this year, including 16 million children struggling to survive in dire conditions, the head of UNICEF reported on Thursday.
With no resolution in sight for the nearly two-year-long ongoing conflict, UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell informed the U.N. Security Council that children in Sudan are experiencing “unimaginable suffering and horrific violence.” She highlighted that 1.3 million children reside in famine-affected areas, and over 770,000 are expected to face severe acute malnutrition in 2025—many of whom will not survive without urgent intervention.
Sudan descended into conflict in April 2023 when long-standing tensions between the country’s military and paramilitary leadership erupted into open warfare, beginning in the capital, Khartoum, and rapidly spreading to other regions, including Darfur. Since then, at least 20,000 people have been killed—though the actual figure is likely much higher—while more than 14 million have been displaced in the ongoing war.
Russell stated that 80% of the 900+ grave violations against children recorded in the latter half of 2024 involved killings or maiming, particularly in Darfur, Khartoum, and Gezira province. However, she emphasized that these figures represent only a fraction of the actual toll.
Sexual violence has also been weaponized to terrorize the Sudanese population, with an estimated 12.1 million women and girls—and increasingly men and boys—at risk, an 80% surge compared to the previous year. UNICEF data from service providers in Sudan recorded 221 cases of child rape across nine provinces in 2024, with 67% of victims being girls and 33% boys. Alarmingly, 16 of these cases involved children under five, including four infants under one year old.
Russell stressed that the true extent of this crisis is likely far worse, as many survivors and their families are unwilling or unable to report such incidents.
Christopher Lockyear, secretary-general of Doctors Without Borders (MSF), who recently visited Khartoum province, told the Security Council that both warring factions are worsening civilian suffering. Government forces have bombed populated areas indiscriminately, while the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and their allied militias have committed systematic sexual violence, mass killings, abductions, looting of humanitarian aid, and the occupation of medical facilities.
Lockyear accused both sides of besieging towns, destroying critical infrastructure, and obstructing humanitarian relief efforts. While the U.N. Security Council has passed resolutions demanding an end to the conflict, he urged leaders to translate these words into concrete action. He called for a new framework that protects civilians, ensures unhindered humanitarian access, and safeguards aid efforts from political interference, backed by a strong accountability mechanism.
Speaking to reporters after the briefing, Lockyear expressed cautious optimism, noting some positive reactions from Security Council members and hoping they would lead to tangible steps forward.
Meanwhile, U.S. Deputy Ambassador Dorothy Shea acknowledged that the Trump administration had cut most foreign aid but confirmed that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had approved an emergency waiver for essential assistance, including food, medicine, and shelter for Sudan. However, she did not specify the allocated amount.
Russell stated that UNICEF requires $1 billion this year to provide lifesaving aid to 8.7 million vulnerable children in Sudan. Lockyear warned that the recent U.S. aid cuts could further exacerbate the country’s already dire humanitarian crisis.
