UNICEF: 17 children killed in attack on displaced persons center in El Fasher

October 12, 2025 (PEN) The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) announced that at least 17 children – nine girls and eight boys, including a seven-day-old baby – were killed in an attack targeting the Dar al-Arqam center for internally displaced persons in El Fasher, North Darfur, early yesterday morning, according to reports received by the organization. Twenty-one other children were also reportedly injured.

UNICEF explained that the attack occurred on a facility housing families displaced by the ongoing conflict in the area, noting that targeting civilians, including children, constitutes a serious violation of international humanitarian law.

UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said in a statement:

“This horrific attack on children and families who were already displaced and seeking safety is outrageous. Killing and injuring children is a grave violation of their rights, and targeting civilians in places that are supposed to provide them protection and refuge is unforgivable.”

The city of El Fasher has been under siege by the Rapid Support Forces for more than 500 days, with severe restrictions on movement and access to food, water, and medical care. Civilians face repeated shelling and increasingly deteriorating living conditions, according to the organization's statement.

The organization added that North Darfur has been experiencing a severe famine for months, and food security and child nutrition conditions have reached catastrophic levels. Families are surviving on extremely limited food rations, while rates of severe acute malnutrition and child mortality from hunger and preventable diseases are rising.

UNICEF noted that the obstruction of supply routes, the looting of aid convoys, and the denial of humanitarian access have made it extremely difficult for relief efforts to continue in the area.

The organization called for an immediate cessation of hostilities throughout Sudan, including in El Fasher, and the lifting of the siege imposed on it.

It also called for respect for international humanitarian law and the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure, as well as ensuring safe passage for civilians, ensuring their protection and dignity, and allowing safe and unhindered access for humanitarian aid to those affected.

The organization emphasized the need to hold accountable those responsible for attacks against civilians, including children, and noted that it and its partners continue to provide life-saving aid and services to children in Sudan.