News Center – As the conflict in Sudan enters its fourth year, indicators of famine and violence against children in North Darfur have worsened in recent weeks, amid warnings of the collapse of living conditions and rising rates of violations affecting the most vulnerable groups in the region, especially children.

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) announced yesterday, Tuesday, April 28, that about five million children in Sudan face severe levels of deprivation, warning of the worsening humanitarian situation as the conflict enters its fourth year.

The organization issued a "Child Alert" – a rare procedure that UNICEF uses only when crises reach a critical stage – for the first time concerning Darfur in twenty years.

The UNICEF representative in Sudan confirmed that children in various areas of the region are living through a "critical stage" where childhood has become associated with fear and loss, pointing to the burning of homes and the destruction of schools and health facilities.

The UN official noted that children are bearing the heaviest burden of the war in Darfur, as they are subjected to killing, maiming, displacement, as well as acute hunger, disease, and psychological trauma.

Darfur, located in western Sudan, is one of the areas most affected by violence. It has witnessed ethnically‑motivated killings since the outbreak of conflict between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces in April 2023. The region was also the scene of widespread crimes and mass displacement since the escalation of conflict in 2003.

Despite the seriousness of the current situation, the UN organization pointed out that the current crisis has not received sufficient international attention, as only 16% of the organization's humanitarian appeal for Sudan for 2026 has been funded.

According to the organization's data, at least 160 children were killed and 85 others injured during the first three months of 2026 across Sudan, a notable increase compared to the same period last year. The most severe impact was recorded in the besieged city of El Fasher, where at least 1,300 children have been killed or maimed since April 2024, amid reports of sexual violence, abduction, and forced recruitment by armed groups.

According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), supported by the United Nations, acute malnutrition reached famine levels in two areas of North Darfur state last February.