Khartoum, Sudan – More than eight million school-age children in Sudan, roughly half of the total, are no longer in education due to the country’s ongoing civil war, Save the Children reported on Thursday.
“Right now the international community is failing the children of Sudan,” said Inger Ashing, CEO of Save the Children International, in a video briefing from Stockholm.
The report states that children have missed around 500 days of schooling since the conflict began in April 2023, a disruption greater than that caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Many schools have been closed, damaged, or converted into shelters for displaced families.
Drone strikes have intensified around the city of al-Obeid in North Kordofan, causing civilian casualties, residents report. Aid agencies are calling for urgent support for Darfur’s al-Fashir, captured by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in October, and Kadugli in southern Sudan, both facing famine. More than 100,000 people have fled al-Fashir since the RSF took control.
Only 3 percent of schools are operating in North Darfur, with West Kordofan, South Darfur, and West Darfur also severely affected. Many teachers have abandoned their posts after months without pay.
“Without immediate funding to pay and train teachers, restore learning spaces, and provide essential learning supplies, the education system risks total breakdown,” Save the Children said.
Ashing added that education is vital to protect children from exploitation and recruitment into armed groups, based on her recent visits to schools in Port Sudan, River Nile, and Khartoum.
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