A planned reopening of Khartoum’s main airport was abruptly delayed following a series of drone strikes, a stark reminder of the ongoing civil war as a top UNICEF official on the ground issued a grave warning about the conflict’s devastating impact on children.
The airport, located in the center of the capital and shuttered for two and a half years, was targeted at the very start of the war between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The recent attacks highlight its continued vulnerability. The RSF leader has vowed to continue targeting military and civilian infrastructure across army-controlled territory with drones as fighting intensifies in Sudan’s North Darfur region.
The setback at the airport comes amid what the United Nations calls the biggest humanitarian crisis in the world. The US special envoy to Sudan estimates the fighting has killed 150,000 people, displaced as many as 12 million, and left half of Sudan’s population—up to 25 million people—facing acute food insecurity. The UN is concerned that escalating violence will hamper response efforts, with needs for food and water far exceeding available resources.
From the front lines of this crisis in Darfur, Deputy Executive Director of UNICEF, Ted Chaiban, described a “terrible” and “inhumane” situation. He reported that 260,000 people are trapped in the city of El Fasher, which has been under siege for over 500 days.
“The people who have fled the city have had to go through a gauntlet of checkpoints where they’ve been stripped of all of their belongings. They’ve had to pay to get through. They’ve experienced sexual violence,” Chaiban said. He described families arriving in surrounding towns and villages with nothing, where humanitarian agencies are struggling to provide support.
Chaiban reserved his most urgent warnings for the children of Sudan, stating the nation is at risk of losing an entire generation.
“Sudan is the largest child displacement crisis in the world,” he stated. “Four out of every five children is out of school. 1.4 million children live in hotspots at risk of famine.”
He detailed the profound and lasting consequences, explaining that malnutrition at a young age can permanently affect a child’s mental and physical well-being. Beyond displacement and starvation, he emphasized the psychological toll.
“Every child in Sudan has experienced violence directly or indirectly,” Chaiban said, noting that an estimated 2.2 million people are at risk of sexual and gender-based violence. “That sense of self and security that comes with being in a family in a stable environment is gone.”
He stressed that providing education and safe spaces for play are essential, life-saving interventions that restore a sense of normality and security. However, he concluded that humanitarian aid alone is not enough.
“Ultimately what’s needed is an end to this conflict,” Chaiban asserted. “There has to be a political solution to this war… There isn’t a military way forward.”
Appraising the international response, Chaiban grouped Sudan with Gaza as the two places in the world experiencing famine in the 21st century, and the crises that keep him awake at night.
“In my view, Sudan hasn’t received nearly enough attention,” he said, appealing for a urgent increase in resources, access, and most importantly, a concerted push for a political solution to end the war.