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UNICEF: Children in El Fasher Facing Starvation and Deadly Violence After 500 Days of Siege

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UNICEF warned today that children in the besieged city of El Fasher, North Darfur, are enduring extreme hunger, mass displacement, and lethal violence after 500 days under siege.

At least 600,000 people – half of them children – have fled El Fasher and surrounding camps in recent months, while an estimated 260,000 civilians, including 130,000 children, remain trapped without aid for over 16 months. UNICEF described the situation as a “devastating tragedy,” stressing that denial of humanitarian access is costing children’s lives.

Since the siege began in April 2024, more than 1,100 grave violations against children have been verified in El Fasher alone, including the killing or maiming of over 1,000 children, sexual violence against at least 23 girls and boys, and the recruitment of children by armed groups. A recent attack on Abu Shouk displacement camp killed seven children.

With supply routes cut off, 6,000 severely malnourished children have been left without treatment, while hospitals and schools have been repeatedly struck. Shortages of therapeutic food and medicines are driving up deaths from hunger and disease, compounded by Sudan’s worst cholera outbreak in decades.

UNICEF reiterated its call for an immediate and sustained humanitarian truce, unrestricted access for aid deliveries, the protection of civilians and critical infrastructure, and the resumption of UN operations in affected areas.