Sudan's Child Displacement Crisis Leaves 15 Million in Need

Since the war erupted on 15 April 2023 between Sudan’s army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the country has faced the world’s largest child displacement emergency. About 15 million children require urgent assistance, and an average of one child flees home every 10 seconds. Save the Children reports that 6.5 million children are internally displaced, 7.4 million lack safe drinking water, and 2 million have missed essential vaccinations.

The conflict has shattered education, with roughly 19 million children—one in three of Sudan’s youth—out of school, exposing them to child labour, early marriage and armed recruitment. Food insecurity is acute; prices have surged up to 300 % in some regions, and famine has been confirmed in at least ten areas. Nearly 4 million children under five suffer acute malnutrition, and 770 000 are at risk of death from starvation. Humanitarian agencies warn that severely malnourished children are twelve times more likely to die from common illnesses such as cholera and diarrhoea. The crisis remains largely under‑reported internationally.