At a recent UN Security Council meeting on safeguarding education in Sudan, Deputy UN Secretary-General Amina Mohammed said the conflict is robbing an entire generation of its future. The meeting took place on Friday, as the war in Sudan entered its 1,210th day without resolution.
Schools turned into battlegrounds
Mohammed revealed that since the start of hostilities in April 2023, close to 75% of schools in Darfur have been either damaged, destroyed, or made unfit for use. Many parents, fearing the dangers of travel and instability, have chosen to keep their children at home instead of sending them to schools perceived as unsafe.
The United Nations has documented over 67 attacks on schools and 154 cases where educational institutions have been used for military purposes since 2024. Mohammed noted that these numbers likely fall short of the true scope of the crisis, as many incidents may go unreported or unrecorded.
A generation at risk
More than half of the country's teachers have not received their wages, but many continue to teach despite the lack of financial support. This ongoing instability places an even greater burden on women and children, who, according to Mohammed, play no role in starting the conflict yet bear the heaviest toll.
Efforts by the UN and partner organizations have helped over a million children return to some form of educational setting this year. However, the deputy secretary-general stressed that this progress is insufficient given the magnitude of the crisis.
Wider humanitarian crisis
The war between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces has led to repeated warnings from UNICEF about the impact on children. An estimated 15 million people have been driven from their homes, with nearly 33 million in urgent need of aid. Of that group, a significant majority are children, highlighting the deepening humanitarian catastrophe.
Earlier this year, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk described the conflict as a “human rights catastrophe unfolding in real time” after visiting Sudan. He documented reports of mass killings and gang rape, indicating the extreme violence being experienced by civilians.
Mohammed emphasized that Sudan is once again losing a generation, with children left without education and families without stability. The war has not only disrupted learning but also upended lives, with its most vulnerable people enduring the worst outcomes.