After the violation of Sudan’s childhood: How did El Obeid’s tragedy become a battlefield for war and propaganda?

As international warnings over the plight of children in Sudan continue to mount, concerns are also growing that the humanitarian tragedy in El Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan State, is being exploited as part of the military and media conflict between the warring parties.

On Monday, Sheldon Yett, UNICEF Representative in Sudan, said that children across the country “are being killed and injured in their homes, on the streets, in markets, and while attempting to access essential services such as education and healthcare,” in one of the bleakest assessments since the outbreak of the war.

According to the organisation, at least 330 children were killed or injured during the first six months of 2026. The Kordofan region recorded the highest rates of child casualties resulting from drone strikes, which UNICEF said accounted for nearly 60 percent of all child casualties in the region.

The extensive use of Iranian- and Turkish-made drones by the Sudanese army and allied forces has expanded the scope of violations against civilians, particularly in the Kordofan and Darfur regions.

Human rights organisations and UN reports accuse these drones of carrying out strikes on markets, residential neighbourhoods, and civilian facilities located far from the front lines, resulting in large numbers of casualties, including children and women.

Observers believe that the introduction of this type of weapon has altered the nature of the conflict by expanding the reach of aerial targeting, increasing the risks faced by civilians, and contributing to a rise in casualties in areas not witnessing direct confrontations.

This came as the United Nations Human Rights Council adopted, by consensus, a resolution on the situation in El Obeid calling for an end to hostilities, the protection of civilians, unimpeded humanitarian access, and the condemnation of external interference fueling the conflict.

The Battle of Narratives

A number of observers believe that the intense media and political focus on El Obeid cannot be separated from the military developments in North Kordofan, arguing that the city has become as much a focal point of the battle over political narratives as it is a military battlefield.

Journalist Khaldoun Al-Sharqawi says that since El Obeid became an advanced command centre for Sudanese army operations following the lifting of the siege, it has also become a platform for managing a media and political campaign designed to preempt any potential military developments.

He adds that, in his assessment, the campaign is aimed not only at the military dimension but also at leveraging the humanitarian file to generate political and diplomatic pressure at a time when concerns are growing over the possible expansion of fighting across the state.

Al-Sharqawi further argues that groups affiliated with the Islamic Movement and allied with the army have tightened security measures inside the city and closed most exit routes, preventing large numbers of civilians and displaced people from leaving, thereby increasing humanitarian risks should large-scale fighting erupt inside the city.

Meanwhile, the Sudan Founding Alliance (TASIS) announced its readiness to open safe corridors for civilians wishing to leave El Obeid, affirming its willingness to coordinate with the United Nations and international and regional organisations to ensure the delivery of humanitarian assistance and the safe evacuation of civilians to more secure areas.

The alliance also declared its readiness to continue dialogue with the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, and international and regional partners to reach urgent arrangements for the protection of civilians under the supervision of the international community and the African Union.

Concerns Over the Militarisation of Civilian Institutions

At the same time, concerns have intensified over the use of civilian facilities for military purposes inside El Obeid.

Media reports, including one by Step News Agency, stated that the extremist Al-Baraa bin Malik Battalion, allied with the Sudanese army, had transferred weapons into the city, amid accusations that educational buildings and university facilities were being used as sites for deployment and weapons storage. This has raised concerns about civilian safety and the possibility that such facilities could become military targets if military operations expand.

The Sudanese National Observatory for Human Rights also accused the battalion of continuing to recruit children from schools and subjecting them to military training, stating that it possesses video evidence documenting these practices and describing them as violations of international humanitarian law and the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Over recent months, social media platforms have circulated videos showing children fighting alongside the Sudanese Armed Forces, while the British newspaper Daily Mail previously published a report featuring footage of children and young teenagers chanting religiously charged extremist slogans in videos attributed to fighters linked to the Sudanese army or the Al-Baraa bin Malik Battalion.

A Generation Bearing the Scars of War

The consequences of the war are not limited to its direct victims. Humanitarian organisations warn of a widespread psychological crisis among children.

Bashir, of the organisation Save the Children, says that as many as half of Sudan’s children are suffering from symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, noting that these include nightmares, declining academic performance, and behavioural disorders, at a time when Sudan lacks specialised services capable of providing psychological support to children affected by the war.

For his part, Victor Ochen, Executive Director of AYNET, an organisation specialising in the rehabilitation of former child soldiers, warns that failing to treat these children will have far-reaching consequences for Sudanese society. He argues that one of the gravest dangers is the transformation of some recruited children into heroic symbols within mobilisation rhetoric, thereby reinforcing a new cycle of violence.

In the same context, retired Major General Kamal Ismail Ahmed, a former commander in the Sudanese Armed Forces and a current leader in the Democratic Civil Alliance (Sumoud), affirmed that Sudanese military regulations have prohibited the recruitment of children since the army’s establishment and that the legal age for enlistment begins at 18.

However, the controversy intensified following remarks by Sudanese Minister of Education Al-Tahami Al-Zein, who announced that students participating in military operations would be exempt from tuition fees. Human rights advocates viewed the statement as an implicit acknowledgement that underage students were taking part in combat, prompting widespread criticism from human rights organisations.

*Bayethe Msimang is an independent writer, analyst and political commentator. 

**The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL

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