UNICEF: 12 Children Killed in Drone Attacks in Khartoum and West Kordofan

Khartoum - October 20, 2026 - Radio Dabanga. The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) reported that at least 12 children, some as young as two years old, were killed in two separate incidents in West Kordofan and Khartoum states over the past few days. It noted the death of at least nine children – five boys and four girls, aged between five and ten – last Saturday in an attack on a camp for displaced families east of the city of Sinakit in West Kordofan State. Two days later, on Monday, an armed drone struck a residential area in Khartoum, reportedly killing three children, two girls and a boy aged between two and six, along with their father. Angela Kearney, acting UNICEF Representative in Sudan, stated, 'In West Kordofan, children were killed in a camp where their families had sought safety. In Khartoum, three young children were reportedly killed alongside their father in their neighborhood, in a city where many families have returned in an attempt to rebuild their lives.' She added, 'Families in Sudan are doing everything they can to keep their children safe, whether by fleeing violence or returning home. But neither provides them with protection. All parties to the conflict must protect children wherever they are.' Across Sudan, children continue to face lethal violence more than three years into the conflict. For families who have already endured displacement and immense hardship, even the places they seek out for safety no longer guarantee it. UNICEF called on all parties to the conflict to comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law and to ensure the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure. Children must be protected wherever they are, and at all times.