UNICEF: 20 Sudanese Children Killed In January Amid Hunger

The killing of at least 20 Sudanese children in January 2026 highlights a widening humanitarian collapse in Sudan’s conflict zones, underscoring how sustained fighting, famine, and displacement are converging into survival crisis across multiple regions of the country.

Child Protection Crisis Escalates

UNICEF said that at least 20 children were killed in January 2026, with most deaths recorded in Sudan’s Kordofan and Darfur regions. The UN children’s agency stated that "most of them killed in the Kordofan and Darfur states". The deaths form part of a broader regional report examining conflict impacts on children across multiple crisis zones.

The agency warned that millions of children in Sudan require “lifesaving assistance, protection and the restoration of essential services" as fighting continues to devastate civilian infrastructure.

UNICEF had further cautioned in December what children in Sudan needed most was a ceasefire, and without urgent action and additional resources “Sudan risks a generational catastrophe that will have grave implications for the country, the region and beyond."

Territorial Fragmentation & Control Dynamics

The Sudanese conflict, which erupted in April 2023, has divided territorial control between rival military forces. The UAE-linked Rapid Support Forces (RSF) now control all five states in the western Darfur region, except for parts of North Darfur that remain under Sudanese army authority. The national army maintains control over most areas across the remaining 13 of Sudan’s 18 states, including Khartoum.

UNICEF confirmed famine conditions in Al Fasher in North Darfur and in Kadugli in Kordofan, while nearly 20 additional areas face similar risks. These developments reflect deteriorating humanitarian access and declining food supply chains across contested territories.

The war has driven mass killings, disappearances, and widespread displacement while causing a collapse of the health system, leaving millions without safe water or medical care.

Food Collapse

The World Food Programme (WFP) reinforced the scale of the humanitarian emergency in a Jan. 15 statement, declaring that the people of Sudan are “enduring unimaginable suffering." The agency quantified the crisis, noting 1,000 days of conflict, 12 million people uprooted, and 21 million facing hunger. Children also remain disproportionately affected by malnutrition according to humanitarian assessments.

The conflict has killed thousands since April 2023 while displacing millions internally and across borders. Aid agencies consistently highlight logistical barriers, insecurity along supply corridors, and destruction of healthcare infrastructure as central obstacles to relief distribution. The combination of active combat zones, fragmented governance, and expanding famine zones has intensified risks for civilians, particularly minors.

Aid Requirements Vs Operational Constraints

Humanitarian agencies emphasize that urgent restoration of essential services remains critical to prevent further child mortality. UNICEF’s warnings indicate that the convergence of famine and armed conflict is accelerating mortality risks among vulnerable populations, especially in Darfur and Kordofan where access to humanitarian corridors remains inconsistent.