THE RIGHT TO HEALTHCARE FOR CHILDREN OF SUDAN AMIDST ONGOING CONFLICT

(28 JULY 2026)

This report provides a comprehensive account of the health situation of children in Sudan following the outbreak of war on April 15, 2023, which led to one of the most severe humanitarian crises affecting civilians and the health sector. The report draws on a comprehensive set of primary and secondary sources, including interviews with doctors, nurses, volunteers, and journalists from fourteen Sudanese states, as well as more than forty international reports issued by UN agencies, human rights bodies, and NGOs.

The information and data collected reveal a catastrophic picture that can be summarized in three main points:

• The near-total collapse of health facilities in conflict zones.
• A sharp increase in malnutrition and disease rates among the most vulnerable groups, particularly children under five.
• The systematic, or nearly systematic, targeting of health facilities and medical personnel, which constitutes a clear violation of the principles of international humanitarian law.

From the very first hours of the war, Sudan’s health sector was transformed from a fragile system suffering from accumulated structural problems into a state of near-total collapse affecting every part of the sector, facilities, equipment, personnel, supplies, and preventive programs. Children, as the most vulnerable group, were disproportionately affected and paid the heaviest price for this collapse.