The Sudanese military is intensifying its efforts to reclaim the capital, Khartoum, from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), but the battle is coming at a devastating cost, particularly for the country’s children. As fighting rages on, young lives are being torn apart by violence, hunger, and injury.
In the hospital in Omdurman, a heart breaking scene unfolds as a young girl screams in pain from severe burns caused by an explosion. Her mother, Khadija, is also badly burned after pulling her daughter to safety. The family managed to survive the shelling, but they have lost everything, and Khadija struggles to afford even basic care, unable to pay for her daughter’s bandages.
The hospital is overflowing with child patients, many suffering from war-related injuries, malnutrition, and sickness. According to Dr. Maha Hussein, the Director-General of the hospital, the ongoing war with the RSF has led to a flood of children in need of urgent medical attention.
One mother, whose child is severely malnourished, describes the heart breaking situation:
“He just won’t gain any weight. We measure him in grams. His older brothers have become violent—obsessed with fighting and naming different types of guns.”
As the conflict deepens, the trauma extends beyond physical wounds. Girls in the region are learning self-defence drills, preparing themselves for the threat of sexual violence and enslavement at the hands of the RSF.
Meanwhile, in another devastating incident, shelling has killed an entire family—eight people, including four children, were killed in a single strike. Hussam, a volunteer mortician, is left to process the grim aftermath. “We’re grown-ups. We’ve found all we need in the world, but why were they involved? They were innocent,” he says, visibly shaken by the loss.
Since the war between the Sudanese military and the RSF erupted in April 2023, the conflict has been marked by atrocities, including ethnically motivated killings and widespread rape. The United Nations and human rights groups have condemned these actions, and the International Criminal Court is now investigating potential war crimes and crimes against humanity.
As the fighting continues to escalate, the civilian toll grows ever heavier, with children at the heart of this devastating conflict.
