MEYSA QAZÎ

Sudan- The conflict that started in Sudan between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces on April 15, 2023 has killed thousands and displaced more than 11 million people. 17.4 million Sudanese children are out of school amid the ongoing conflict, Save the Children said in a report on December 24, 2024. By November 2024, nearly 3 million Sudanese people had fled to the neighboring countries and over 8 million people have been displaced internally since the conflict began, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

‘Receiving education is possible if you can pay for it’

Faiza Yaqoub is one of Sudanese mothers, who have fled to Uganda with their children. “I left my country for the security and education of my children. All children in the camp do not go to school. There is no opportunity to receive education for children. Receiving education is possible if you can pay for it. We live in a refugee camp and we do not have money to cover transportation expenses for our children so that they can continue their education. We face difficult living conditions in the camp,” Faiza Yaqoup told NuJINHA.

Faia Yaqoup also talked about their journey from Sudan to Uganda. “We were scammed and lost our money. We stayed in South Sudan for two weeks until we were able to travel again to Uganda. We live in a camp full of snakes and insects without water and food. People have set up a charity kitchen to help the displaced people but it is insufficient.”

‘Children are deprived of education’

Kamaria Omar, member of the Sudanese Teachers' Committee, described the cessation of education in Sudan as “the biggest disaster”. “It is the biggest disaster because children cannot even learn how to read and write. The conflict has been going on for about 20 months. The conflict deprives millions of children of education. Now, we have six generations that are illiterate. These children will not be able to find a job because they are illiterate and most of them will be pushed to take up weapons. Thus, we will remain in the circle of conflict due to the cessation of education.”

According to UNICEF, 19 million school-age children are out of school in Sudan, Kamaria Omar recalled, saying, “These children are the ones who will build the country and determine the future of Sudan. Since they are out of school, Sudan will not have a future. This figure shows that Sudan will have poverty, hunger and disease in the future. The cessation of education poses a threat to society. We hope that this war will stop soon and people will start rebuilding the country.”

There are a number of national initiatives working in coordination with UNICEF, UNESCO and the Sudanese Teachers’ Committee to carry out activities for children taking shelters in camps in different countries, such Chad, Kenya, Rwanda, Egypt and Libya. “These initiatives aim to provide education to children. They have created classes inside the camps to teach children how to write and read.”