Save the Children: Over 8 million children out of school for almost 500 days due to Sudan war

PORT SUDAN – The NGO Save the Children issued on Thursday a stark warning about the devastating impact of Sudan's ongoing conflict on children's education, revealing that more than eight million children - nearly half of the country's school-aged population - have been out of school for approximately 484 days.

In a statement released from Port Sudan, the international NGO described the situation as one of the world's longest school closures, surpassing even the most severe disruptions seen during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The war, which erupted in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, has now entered its third year, leaving millions of children deprived of their right to education amid widespread violence, displacement, and destruction."

More than eight million children – nearly half of the 17 million of school age – have gone approximately 484 days without setting foot in a classroom," Save the Children stated.

New analysis by the organization, drawing on Global Education Cluster data, indicates that around 13 million of Sudan's 17 million school-aged children are currently out of school. This includes both children who were previously enrolled but cannot attend due to conflict and displacement, and those never enrolled who now face permanent exclusion from education.

The NGO highlighted that many schools remain closed, while others have been damaged by fighting or repurposed as shelters for over seven million internally displaced people across the country. The prolonged absence from classrooms risks irreversible setbacks, including lost learning time compounds existing vulnerabilities in a nation where education access was already strained by poverty and instability before the war.

Save the Children emphasized that this education crisis is part of a broader children's emergency in Sudan. The conflict has displaced more than five million children, exposed countless others to violence, hunger, and disease, and shattered communities. With the International Day of Education approaching, the organization called attention to the urgent need for global action to reopen schools safely, provide alternative learning opportunities, and address the funding shortfalls plaguing humanitarian responses.

The statement comes shortly after marking 1,000 days of conflict in early January 2026, when Save the Children reiterated that Sudan's children are paying the highest price—losing homes, families, safety, and futures. Projections suggest millions may never return to school without massive intervention, perpetuating cycles of poverty and instability.

As the war shows no signs of abating and humanitarian funding remains critically low, Save the Children called for immediate international support to protect children's right to learn and rebuild hope for an entire generation caught in one of the world's most severe crises.