At least 18 children killed in wave of drone attacks and airstrikes across Sudan, Save the Children says

At least 18 children are among hundreds of people reportedly killed in a wave of drone attacks and airstrikes across Sudan over the past week, Save the Children said in a statement published on 21 October (ReliefWeb).

Citing United Nations data, the charity said at least 10 children were reportedly killed in drone attacks over the weekend, with a further three children reportedly killed on Monday in the capital, Khartoum. On Thursday, five children from the same family were reportedly killed in an airstrike in North Kordofan, with their mother surviving with injuries (ReliefWeb).

“The recent wave of drone attacks across Sudan is deeply worrying for children and families already living through one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises,” said Claire Henery, Save the Children’s Country Director in Sudan (ReliefWeb).

UNICEF separately reported that at least 330 children were killed or injured during the first six months of 2026, with Darfur and Kordofan recording the highest casualties. Since May 2026, drone strikes and other attacks have reportedly caused more than 35 child casualties in North Kordofan, including at least 18 children killed and more than 17 injured, aged from two months to 17 years; drone attacks accounted for 60 per cent of these casualties (UNICEF).

“Children are being caught in a relentless cycle of violence, displacement and deprivation,” said Sheldon Yett, UNICEF Representative for Sudan. “For many children, there is no safe place left.” (UNICEF)

The United Nations condemned the deadly wave of drone strikes earlier this week. UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said the world body was “alarmed by the continued deadly drone strikes across the country that are killing civilians, including children, and that are disrupting essential services”, while Under-Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo briefed the Security Council on Friday, urging external actors to stop fuelling drone usage (UN News).

Fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces erupted in April 2023, and 20 million people now face acute hunger (UN News).