UNICEF: 23 children killed and others injured in North Kordofan in two months

July 30, 2026 (PEN) The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) reported that at least 23 children were killed and 25 others injured in North Kordofan State during the past two months, coinciding with the escalation of the conflict around the city of El Obeid since late May.

The organization said in a statement that the latest incident occurred on Friday, July 24, in the Berber area, south of El Obeid, where at least four children, aged between 8 and 16, were killed. This brings the total number of children killed or injured in July to at least eight.

UNICEF added that this comes after reports that at least 10 children were killed or injured in May, and at least 30 children in June, the youngest of whom was only two months old.

UNICEF's representative in Sudan, Sheldon Yett, said: "Four more children have lost their lives in a conflict that continues to put children and their families at grave risk."

He added: “Behind every number is a child whose life has been taken, and a family whose future has been changed forever. Children continue to be victims of this conflict, and their safety, rights, and the services they depend on must be protected.”

The organization explained that children throughout Sudan are bearing the brunt of more than three years of conflict, noting that reports indicated that, during the first six months of the year, at least 330 children were killed or injured.

UNICEF warned that ongoing violence, repeated displacement and destruction of civilian infrastructure are endangering children’s lives, safety and future.

The organization called on all parties to protect civilians, including children, and to fulfill their obligations under international humanitarian law, and to take all possible measures to spare children the effects of hostilities, and to protect the infrastructure and basic services on which they depend, including schools, health facilities and water networks.