Amina Mohammed, UN Deputy Secretary-General, addressed the Security Council on Friday, August 7th, 2026, during an informal meeting focused on safeguarding education in Sudan. She emphasized the devastating impact of the ongoing conflict on Sudan’s children, stating, “Among everything this war is taking, one of the most significant is the future of Sudan depriving the education of its children.”

At least eight million school-aged children are currently out of the classroom, with displaced children, especially those who have fled to other countries, disproportionately affected. In Darfur alone, nearly three-quarters of schools have been damaged, destroyed, or rendered non-functional since fighting erupted in April 2023. Mohammed highlighted that “five children in every six are out of school,” and many parents prefer to keep their children at home for safety.

Since 2024, the UN has verified more than 67 attacks on schools across Sudan and reported over 154 instances of military use of schools, though the true scale is believed to be higher. Mohammed described these attacks as “frontal assaults on children’s safety and their dignity,” noting the loss of protective spaces and access to essential services such as school feeding programs, healthcare, and mental health support.

While the UN and partners have managed to bring more than a million Sudanese children back into some form of learning this year, Mohammed stressed that it is insufficient. She concluded with a call for renewed efforts to end the conflict: “Sudan’s children have waited 1,210 days for the war to end. They should not have to wait any longer.”