Khartoum – New York: Europe and the Arabs

UNICEF has warned that more than 8 million children have been deprived of their right to education after more than 1,000 days of conflict in Sudan, a situation it says threatens to deprive an entire generation of education and jeopardizes the country's future. In an interview with UN News on the occasion of the International Day of Education, UNICEF spokesperson in Sudan, Eva Hinds, revealed alarming figures reflecting the unprecedented collapse of the education system and infrastructure.

The United Nations observes the International Day of Education annually on January 24. This year's theme is "The Power of Youth in Creating Education." On this occasion, the UNICEF spokesperson called on world leaders to provide flexible funding and ensure aid access to prevent the loss of an entire generation of children, emphasizing, "We cannot turn our backs on this tragedy" in Sudan, which has resulted in alarming statistics, including:

8 million children is the total number of children currently out of school in Sudan.

Five million children have been forced to flee their homes, cutting them off from teachers and educational materials.

6,400 schools are currently completely closed and providing no educational services.

Eleven percent of schools are being used as emergency shelters for displaced families or for non-educational purposes.

One in three schools is unusable due to destruction or damage caused by the war. Following a 10-day field mission, UNICEF revealed the dire humanitarian conditions faced by children in Darfur, where thousands are experiencing repeated displacement, trauma, and a lack of basic services as fighting continues.

Speaking to UN News from N'Djamena, the capital of Chad, UNICEF spokesperson Eva Hinds said the team's visit to Darfur allowed them to assess the situation of children, especially the most vulnerable, their needs, and the support required and being provided on the ground.

"Darfur has been experiencing intense fighting for a long time, and there are a large number of children who have been displaced not once, but twice," Hinds said.