Plan International responds to deadly school attack in North Kordufan, Sudan

This latest attack in El-Obeid city of North Kordofan on the 14^th of August has seen 4 schools hit by shelling, 2 of which were girls’ schools.

The shelling of the schools, which took place in the daytime, had pupils studying and playing in the school, turning a safe space into a target that resulted in a high number of  fatalities and injuries, most of whom were children.

Schools have remained closed since the 15^th of April 2023 with this attack coming just as normalcy was returning to El-Obeid city with the re-opening of schools.

According to the UN, more than a year since the conflict began, the learning situation is deeply concerning, with more than 90 per cent of the country’s 19 million school-age children having no access to formal education and in danger of not being able to return to learning anytime soon. According to the Education Cluster 10, 400 schools are in active conflict zones and several hundred schools are used as shelters by IDPs and refugees.

Attacks on schools during conflict is one of the six grave violations identified and condemned by the UN Security Council as well as a violation of International Humanitarian law and must not be tolerated.

These attacks not only cause immediate physical harm and loss of life but also have long-term psychological and social impacts. They disrupt the educational process, leading to significant interruptions in learning, and hinder children’s development.

“The heaviest coffins to carry are the smallest ones. Children do not start wars but they are the ones who suffer the most,” said Mohammed Qazilbash, Plan International’s Country Director in Sudan.

“A place once seen and used as a safe haven by children so that they could learn and play has been turned into a tomb. Stop the war!”

As a child rights and humanitarian NGO, Plan International continues to call on all parties of the conflict to fulfil their obligations to protect civilians especially children and girls across Sudan and end grave violations specifically targetting them.

With Sudan being a signatory to the Safe Schools Declaration, an inter-governmental political commitment to protect students, teachers, schools, and universities from the worst effects of armed conflict, we urge the warring parties to adhere and uphold this declaration.

We also urge the international community to take immediate action to safeguard education in conflict zones and hold those responsible for these grave violations to account.