Children in Sudan are trapped in what UNICEF describes as a relentless cycle of violence, displacement and deprivation, as the country’s war grinds on with devastating consequences for civilians.

Briefing the UN Human Rights Council, the UNICEF Representative for Sudan reported that more than 300 children have been killed or injured in the last six months alone, most of them in drone strikes. The agency warned that the true toll is likely higher, with many areas cut off by fighting and communications blackouts.

Sudan has been engulfed in conflict since a power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces erupted into full-scale war. What began as a battle for control of the capital has splintered into front lines stretching across the vast country.

UNICEF and other UN officials say the fighting is now heavily concentrated in Kordofan, Darfur and Blue Nile states, where drone warfare accounts for around 60 percent of casualties. Residential neighborhoods, markets and public spaces have been repeatedly hit, leaving children especially exposed.

The UN has urged all parties to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, to allow unhindered humanitarian access and to take every possible measure to shield children from harm. Yet reports from the ground describe a worsening situation, with aid convoys blocked, warehouses looted and medical facilities overwhelmed or destroyed.

International concern has focused in particular on the strategic city of el-Obeid in North Kordofan, where the RSF and the army are battling for control. The Human Rights Council has adopted a resolution condemning escalating violence by the RSF and allied forces in and around the city, and warning of the risk of further atrocities.

The same measure calls for greater support to neighboring countries hosting Sudanese refugees and denounces all forms of external interference that fuel the war.

Across Sudan, the human cost is staggering. The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced about 13 million, driving many regions to the brink of famine. More than 30 million people now require humanitarian assistance to survive.

Drone strikes and shelling have repeatedly targeted schools, markets, fuel depots and water stations, putting more than half a million people at immediate risk and leaving civilians in near-siege conditions for over a year. For Sudan’s children, UNICEF warns, the war is erasing not only lives but futures.