More than eight million children in Sudan have missed nearly 500 days of lessons since the civil war broke out April 2023 – in one of the world’s longest school closures, according to Save the Children.
Almost half of Sudan’s 17 million school-age children have not entered a classroom for 484 days, longer than the shutdown of schools during the coronavirus pandemic.
“Few modern conflicts have closed schools this long,” a report by the charity said.
Unlike during the pandemic, remote learning is not an option for most children in Sudan, Save the Children added.
Almost three years of fighting have created what the UN says is the world’s largest humanitarian and displacement crisis. Tens of thousands of people have been killed and more than 13 million have been displaced since clashes erupted between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces over the integration of the paramilitary group into the national army.
The war has also created one of the worst education crises in the world, with schools closed, damaged or used as shelters for displaced families. This leaves children “without safe places to learn and millions of children increasingly unlikely to ever complete their studies”, the report warned.
It said North Darfur was the most affected region, with only 3 per cent of more than 1,100 schools open. West Kordofan, South Darfur and West Darfur rank next for the lowest number of operating schools.
The RSF now dominates the western Darfur region and most of Kordofan after its takeover of El Fasher in October last year, which had been an army stronghold. Both warring parties have been accused of committing war crimes and atrocities by the UN throughout the civil war.
The fighting has pushed Sudan into “an abyss of unimaginable dimensions”, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said this week after visiting the country. His visit coincided with renewed diplomatic efforts to end the war by the US, UAE, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, known as the Quad.
“Children who have fled unimaginable violence in Sudan deserve more than just safety – they deserve the chance to learn, to hope and to rebuild their lives,” said Save the Children International chief executive Inger Ashing. “Education is not a luxury for children; it is a lifeline,” she added.
“Every child in Sudan has the right to an education and the chance to pursue their dreams – to become doctors, nurses, teachers, and engineers, as children told me this week. We must not fail them.”
