Sudan’s war forces nearly 8 million children out of school |
Sudan is facing one of the most protracted and devastating education crises in the world, as nearly two years of armed conflict have forced millions of children out of classrooms and stripped an entire generation of its right to learn. Since fighting erupted in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), education across the country has been brought to a near standstill, with humanitarian organizations warning that the damage could be irreversible without urgent intervention.
According to Save the Children, at least 8 million Sudanese children have been unable to attend school for almost 500 consecutive days. The organization has described the situation as “one of the world’s longest school closures,” underscoring the scale of a crisis that now affects nearly half of Sudan’s 17 million school-aged children. For many students, classrooms have been replaced by displacement camps, overcrowded homes, or streets shaped by insecurity and fear.
In a statement released on January 22, Save the Children said that children across Sudan have spent approximately 484 days without entering a classroom. While some schools closed immediately after fighting began, others were later damaged, destroyed, or repurposed as shelters for displaced families. As a result, millions of children have been left without safe, structured environments for learning, social interaction, or emotional support.
The regional disparities are particularly stark. Citing data from Sudan’s education cluster, Save the Children