In Al Fasher, North Darfur, over 70 children have lost their lives or been injured in less than three months.
Heavy shelling and airstrikes in the Zamzam camp for internally displaced individuals since early 2025 have been responsible for 16% of all documented child casualties in Al Fasher.
UNICEF Representative for Sudan, Sheldon Yett, stated, “Approximately 825,000 children are caught in an escalating humanitarian crisis in and around Al Fasher, and these figures only account for verified incidents, suggesting the real number of affected children is much higher, with their survival being a daily struggle.”
Constant threats of death face children due to the ongoing fighting and the breakdown of essential services they depend on.
Over 60,000 new displacements have been reported in North Darfur within 6 weeks, bringing the total number of displaced people to over 600,000 since April 2024, when violence intensified, including 300,000 children.
About 900,000 people remain in Al Fasher, with 750,000 in Zamzam camp, half of whom are children, all caught in the midst of active conflict with all exit routes blocked.
Security has collapsed completely, making it virtually impossible to deliver humanitarian aid and commercial goods, as armed groups target rural villages and threaten delivery efforts.
Communities are facing severe shortages of water, food, medicine, and nutrition supplies, with food prices having nearly doubled in the past three months.
Malnutrition is widespread, with North Darfur having more than 457,000 acutely malnourished children, including nearly 146,000 with severe acute malnutrition, the most dangerous form.
Violence and restrictions on access have put six regions at risk of famine.
UNICEF provided ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) and other essential supplies to Al Fasher three months ago, but these supplies have run out. Despite repeated efforts, further deliveries have been thwarted by threats from armed groups, leaving 2,300 children with severe acute malnutrition at risk in Zamzam, as stocks will run out within three weeks.
UNICEF warns that 500,000 children are in immediate danger if supplies cannot be delivered.
