The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) warned Monday of the escalating human cost of the war in Sudan, stressing that at least 330 children were killed or injured during the first half of 2026, amid ongoing fighting and widening attacks, particularly in Darfur and Kordofan states.

In a statement, the organization said that Darfur and Kordofan states recorded the highest casualty rates among children, noting that the situation in and around the city of El Obeid and in North Kordofan state in general is of 'grave concern' as attacks continue and risks to civilians escalate.

According to UNICEF, drone attacks and other attacks since last May have resulted in more than 35 children killed or injured in North Kordofan state, including at least 18 children killed and more than 17 injured, with victims ranging in age from two months to 17 years.

The organization added that 60 percent of these casualties resulted from drone attacks, highlighting the growing impact of this method of warfare on children and their families.

It explained that repeated drone strikes and artillery shelling have also destroyed and damaged homes, schools, health facilities, water networks, and markets, as well as disrupted supply routes, increasing pressure on basic services.

UNICEF estimated that about 500,000 civilians are at risk in and around El Obeid and across North Kordofan state, warning that any further escalation could lead to higher numbers of children killed and injured, as well as increased displacement and grave violations against them.

Sheldon Yett, UNICEF Representative in Sudan, said children are 'caught in an unrelenting cycle of violence, displacement and deprivation,' adding that 'there is no longer a safe place for many of them, as they are being killed and injured inside their homes, on roads, in markets, and while trying to access basic services such as education and healthcare.'

The UN official stressed that children 'must never be a target of war under any circumstances,' calling for the protection of their lives, rights, and future.

The organization noted that children face not only the risk of death and injury but also grave violations including recruitment and use in conflict, abduction, sexual violence, and attacks on schools and hospitals, in addition to deep psychological effects from repeated shelling and displacement.

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UNICEF called on all parties to the conflict to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, ensure safe, rapid, and unimpeded humanitarian access, and take all possible measures to protect children from all forms of harm.

This UN warning comes as the war in Sudan continues for more than three years, amid escalating military operations in several states, particularly in Darfur and Kordofan, where battles, airstrikes, and shelling have deteriorated humanitarian conditions and displaced millions of civilians, with relief agencies facing increasing difficulties in delivering aid to affected areas.

Since April 2023, Sudan has witnessed a bloody war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, resulting in tens of thousands of deaths and millions displaced and seeking refuge, causing a widespread collapse of basic services, with the United Nations describing the humanitarian crisis in the country as the worst in the world.