By Dickson Bandera
Khartoum/Bara, — A brutal wave of violence has torn through Sudan’s North Kordofan State, leaving families shattered and children once again bearing the brunt of the country’s deepening conflict.
“More than 450 civilians, including at least 24 boys, 11 girls, and two pregnant women, were reportedly killed in horrific attacks in communities around the city of Bara, including the villages of Shag Alnom and Hilat Hamid, in Sudan’s North Kordofan State over the weekend.
With dozens more injured and many still missing, we fear that the number of child casualties could rise further,” UNICEF said in a statement released this Tuesday.
The attacks are just the latest tragedy in a conflict that continues to ravage Sudan’s towns and villages, worsening what was already one of Africa’s most complex humanitarian crises. Long before this latest eruption of fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Sudan was no stranger to conflict.
The Darfur crisis in 2003 ignited a humanitarian catastrophe that forced millions from their homes. For decades, Sudan has hosted more than 1 million refugees — the second-highest number on the continent — including people fleeing violence in South Sudan and the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia.
Now, with the country facing its highest levels of humanitarian need in over ten years, the recent clashes have further endangered children who were already at grave risk.
“These attacks are an outrage. They represent a terrifying escalation of violence, and a complete disregard for human life, international humanitarian law, and the most basic principles of humanity,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell.
North Kordofan has become an increasingly dangerous frontline for Sudanese children. In 2024 alone, six per cent of all grave violations against children in Sudan — including killing and maiming, abductions, attacks on schools or hospitals, rape and other sexual violence, and denial of humanitarian aid — were reported in North Kordofan. This year, that trend has only worsened. So far, at least 35 children have reportedly been killed in attacks in the state.
“UNICEF condemns the attacks in the strongest possible terms. We call on all parties to the conflict to end the violence immediately and to uphold their obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law, and the principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution.”
For families in Bara and surrounding villages, the attacks have brought unimaginable loss — loved ones killed or missing, homes destroyed, and entire communities displaced yet again. Aid workers warn that growing restrictions on humanitarian access are compounding the crisis and putting more children’s lives at risk.
“Civilians – particularly children – must never be the target of attack. All alleged violations must be independently investigated, and those responsible held to account. Impunity cannot be tolerated for violations of international law, especially when children’s lives are at stake,” Russell said.
Sudan’s crisis has repeatedly defied peace deals and diplomatic mediation. But with the civilian toll mounting, UNICEF has joined regional and global voices calling for an urgent ceasefire and for Sudan’s leaders and armed groups to embrace the African Union’s vision to silence the guns — a long-standing continental goal to end violent conflict and secure lasting peace.
“We extend our deepest condolences to the families of the victims, and to anyone impacted by this heinous violence,” Russell added. “No child should ever experience such horrors. Violence against children is unconscionable and must end now.”
Ending the cycle of conflict is not only a moral duty, it is the only hope to protect Sudan’s most vulnerable — its children.
