Over 300 children killed or injured in Sudan war in first half of 2026 as RSF violence escalates

The escalating civil war in Sudan has taken a devastating toll on youth, with UNICEF reporting that over 300 children were killed or injured in the first half of 2026, primarily due to drone strikes. The strategic city of el-Obeid is under a severe siege by the Rapid Support Forces, displacing over 5,500 children and triggering a critical cholera outbreak. In response, the UN Human Rights Council has passed a resolution condemning the paramilitary violence and calling for an end to external interference.

El-Obeid siege conditions

• ▪The strategic city of el-Obeid, home to over half a million people, has been besieged by the Rapid Support Forces for months, causing severe fuel and water shortages
• ▪Drone strikes and shelling in el-Obeid have targeted civilian infrastructure, including schools, markets, and water tankers, putting over 500,000 people at risk

Child displacement crisis

• ▪More than 5,500 children have been newly displaced by fighting over the strategic city of el-Obeid
• ▪Children under 18 make up approximately 55 percent of the displaced population across Sudan, with five million children internally displaced nationwide

RSF drone attacks

• ▪Since May 2026, drone strikes and other attacks in North Kordofan state have resulted in at least 35 child casualties, including 18 children killed
• ▪The United Nations children's agency reported that at least 330 children were killed or injured in Sudan during the first six months of 2026
• ▪Drone strikes accounted for 60 percent of child casualties in Sudan during the first half of 2026

Cholera outbreak

• ▪In West Kordofan, conflict and disrupted health services have fueled a cholera outbreak with 838 suspected cases and 117 deaths reported as of June 20, 2026
• ▪A seasonal cholera outbreak in el-Obeid has resulted in 300 confirmed cases, exacerbated by siege-like conditions and overcrowding from internal displacement

International condemnation

• ▪The United Nations Human Rights Council resolution approved on July 6, 2026, condemns all forms of external interference in the Sudanese war
• ▪The United Nations Human Rights Council approved a resolution on July 6, 2026, condemning the escalating violence by the Rapid Support Forces around el-Obeid

Sudan civil war stalemate

• ▪Sudan's civil war, which erupted in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, has killed at least 59,000 people
• ▪Efforts to secure a ceasefire in Sudan have failed, including a United States-organized peace process that was abandoned after the military alleged bias